Peanut Butter and Jelly
by yourbrowneyedgirl
Summary: What happens when firefighter Edward comes home to a messy house, crying children, an emotional wife, and burned dinner? Very fluffy. All Human. All Edward POV. Now Complete!
1. Peanut Butter and Jelly

AN: This is my first fanfic. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. I will not continue to post this story if I do not get significant feedback. I'll need at least 5-10 reviews in order to post the next chapter. Please feel free to ask questions or give suggestions. Also any typos! I don't have a beta, so hopefully things won't be too bad. This is just going to be a short, fluffy little story, four or five parts. I am willing to expand it or go back and write their story from when Bella and Edward first meet. I just need feedback. I won't write if I think no one likes it. Thank you!

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. I only own the kiddies.

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All Human, Edward POV, somewhat OOC

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen: 28, Seattle Fire Dept.

Bella Marie Swan Cullen: 26, Freelance writer and stay at home mother

Masen Charles: 4, Brown hair, green eyes

Elizabeth (Libby) Marie: 2, Bronze ringlets, Bella's eyes

Ella Renesmee: 9 months, Light brown hair, hazel eyes

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-Chapter One: Peanut Butter and Jelly-

It had been another long day at work. My clothing reeked of smoke and was covered in soot. I was thankful that the Seattle fire department chose me for more of their longer firefighting projects, but the twenty four to thirty six hour shifts were beginning to take a toll on me. I walked out of the fire station, mindful of the darkening sky. A few snowflakes fell on my shoulders and I shivered. Seattle was in for a big snow storm later on in the evening. I unlocked my silver Volvo, sliding in and tossing my duffel bag in the backseat. I relished the feeling of the soft leather under my skin. The car had been a college graduation present from my parents seven years ago. I knew I was rushing but I hadn't seen my wife or my kids in thirty six hours and I was itching to get home before the storm came.

I peeled out of the parking lot and sped west to where our modest little house was located. Bella and I had decided to purchase the home right after we found out she was pregnant with our first child, Masen. That had been almost five years ago. The house was old, and I remember spending many a Saturday painting or fixing some part of it. It looked pretty good, if I did say so myself. The house was white, with a small yard in front and rosebushes in front of the porch. That reminded me- I had to fix the second porch step. Libby- our precious two year old who had inherited Bella's clumsiness- had nearly broken her leg last Tuesday when the one of the wooden boards came loose. She had been jumping down the steps and the board gave way beneath her. That incident resulted in a fruitless hospital visit and a lot of tears from both Libby and Bella's end. I myself had wanted to cry when the doctor sent us the bill.

I turned onto our street, marveling at how quickly I had arrived home. I was only allowed to drive as fast as I wanted when Bella or our three children weren't in the car. Those were my lovely wife's rules, not mine. My driving had considerably improved since we had kids, but Bella insisted that I still drove like a "speed demon"- her words, not mine. I pulled in the driveway of the house and grabbed my bag out of the back. I quickly ran my hands through my messy bronze hair, dislodging any ashes that might have nested there. Bella hated it when I literally brought my work home with me. I jumped out of the car and swiftly locked it. The snow was falling heavier now, the storm only a few hours away. I walked up the small path to the front door, dodging the broken step on the porch, and unlocked the door with my keys.

Our house was modest, but by no means was it shabby. My mother, Esme, and my sister Alice had seen to that. The entryway and the living room were painted a sunny yellow, and the furniture was made of dark wood. The living room had a brown leather sofa and armchair, and there was a red rug on the floor. The beautiful rug had been a gift from Bella's friends who lived in La Push, a reservation close to her childhood home. It was easily one of our favorite furnishings. There were two mahogany bookshelves on either side of the couch that housed my wife's enormous book collection, as well as my own. We both loved to read and hoped that our children would too. There were a few strategically placed woven baskets that held toys and baby things. Some colorful paintings graced the walls, giving the room a sense of coziness. Directly across from the couch was a huge fireplace, and above the mantle our new flat screen television was mounted. Bella had chastised me for buying the television, but after showing her the receipt, she accepted the fact that yes, I really had bought it on sale. The coffee table had a vase of wildflowers on it, as well as some DVDs and magazines.

The dining room was to the right of the front door, and was painted a deep royal blue. The table and chairs were the same shade of dark brown as the living room furniture. A silver and ivory chandelier hung gracefully from the ceiling, and our children were enamored with the sparkling crystals that adorned it. A carved china cabinet was behind the head of the table, and it showed off Bella's delicate porcelain cups and dishes that she had accumulated over the years. Her china was one of her most prized possessions, and she only brought it out for special occasions.

The minute I walked into the house, I was aware of two things. First- something was burning. I prayed it wasn't my dinner but most likely, it was. Don't get me wrong- Bella was an excellent cook, but sometimes the kids distracted her and cooking was forgotten. It wasn't her fault that dinner was sometimes less than perfect, and it wasn't the kids' faults either. It's just the way life works. I've gotten used to it and only on rare occasions do I pull out the takeout menus.

The second thing I was aware of was that one of my children was crying at high volume. It sounded like our nine month old baby girl, Ella. I remember Bella telling me a few days ago that her back molars were coming in. Teething had to be the culprit, and if it was, then Bella had probably put up with a crying child ever since I left for work early yesterday morning. A whole two days of Ella's wailing. Fantastic. I kicked off my shoes and shed my coat, placed my keys in the bowl that was on top of the antique table in the entryway, and dropped my duffel bag on the dark wood floor. I quickly walked through the living room to the kitchen, trying not to trip over the toys and books lying in the way. I came to a stop in front of the entryway.

It was a little hard to take in all at once. Our kitchen that was painted a light aqua was in complete disarray. There was a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink, and even more were scattered around the kitchen table and counters. Several pots and pans were on the ground, as well as some Tupperware containers. My wife had most likely let the two little girls play with them to keep them occupied. I also noticed that someone had pulled off all of the magnets and pictures that were usually stuck to the refrigerator doors. They were in a heap on the beige tile floor. There were several bottles and sippy cups strewn around, and it looked like someone had taken grape jelly and smeared it all over the lower cabinets. That was most likely my son's doing. I cringed at the mess.

I scanned the kitchen and saw my beautiful Bella standing at the stove, her back to me. She was dressed in some faded sweatpants and one of my old tee shirts. Her hair was up in a messy bun, though quite a few tendrils of the chocolate brown hair that I loved so much had escaped. She was stirring a pot on one of the boilers, balancing a sobbing Ella on her right hip. Ella's beautiful hazel eyes were red rimmed with tears, her soft hair that was a mixture of both mine and Bella's was sticking out everywhere, reminiscent of my own unruly locks. I noticed that her little pink onesie that said "_I'm the little sister_" was damp with tears.

Gazing at Bella once again, I saw Libby standing on her other side and swinging her small fists at Bella's leg, demanding "Gimmie chockit, Mommy, gimmie chockit!" I was shocked. Where on earth had my angelic daughter learned this type of behavior? I normally would have chuckled at her mispronunciation of the word _chocolate_, but this misconduct was unacceptable. I stepped into the kitchen, arms folded across my chest, and said severely,

"Elizabeth Marie, who do you think you are, hitting Mommy?"

Bella gasped and whirled around to face me, as did Libby. Even little Ella stopped crying for a minute. They were all startled at my sudden appearance. I directed my gaze at Libby.

"Elizabeth Marie, if you ever hit Mommy or anybody else again, you will be severely punished. Because you hit Mommy, you will not be allowed to watch television for the rest of today and also tomorrow. Is that understood?"

Libby nodded, her brown eyes sparkling with tears. "I sowwy Daddy, I sowwy."

I visibly softened at the sight of tears streaking down her cheeks. I had been home five minutes and the first thing I do is yell at my little girl? I was tempted to simply scoop her up and forget all about it, but I couldn't let Libby get away with that sort of behavior. I did not want a repeat performance of what I had just witnessed. So I said, "Don't apologize to me, apologize to Mommy."

Libby turned to Bella and whispered, "I sowwy Mommy."

Bella said gently, "I forgive you, sweetie. Now go give Daddy a kiss and then wash your hands for dinner." She patted Libby's bronze curls and gave her a small push towards me.

I instinctively squatted down and held out my arms to her. Libby slowly walked towards me and I could see the small battle she was waging against herself as she debated on whether or not she would be sweet to me, seeing as I had taken away her beloved television privilege. Her sweet side won out as she flew into my arms and peppered my face with little kisses. I slowly stood up, holding her tightly to my chest. Libby was a daddy's girl, whether she admitted it or not. Our little moment was broken by her squealing, "Ew, Daddy! You smells wike fire!" I laughed, and spun her around in the air. The kitchen was filled with the sound of her giggles. I set my breathless little girl down, and she skipped off to wash her hands.

I then gathered my beautiful Bella into my arms, mindful of the baby between us. I planted small kisses down the side of her neck, and whispered huskily in her ear, "I missed you, love." She sighed in response, and twisted her one free hand into my hair. I buried my nose in her hair, savoring the strawberry smell that lingered there. I gently tilted her face to meet mine, and I reverently touched my lips to her own. She tasted so good. The kiss soon intensified, our mouths joining passionately, her tongue battling with mine for dominance. We were soon jolted back to reality with a shrill cry from Ella, who obviously thought she was being ignored. I lifted her from Bella's grasp, and kissed her nose, earning me a small baby giggle. Bella sighed as she leaned her head on my chest, and I tightened my arm around her waist.

"What's wrong, love?" I asked, a little disconcerted.

"That's the first time she's stopped crying today." _Oh._

"Teething?"

"You bet. I'm surprised our baby girl hasn't gotten laryngitis, with all her screaming." She chuckled quietly, then said, "Libby was right, honey. You do stink."

I wrinkled my nose at her. "Oh, thanks." I couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my voice. She laughed her glorious laugh again, and I playfully swatted her backside. She yelped, and wriggled out of my arms. "None of that Mr. Cullen, dinner first!"

I raised my eyebrows suggestively at her. "What about dessert?" She huffed at me, and turned to a now giggling Ella.

"You see your Daddy, Ella? He's so silly."

Ella cooed and clapped her hands in response. "Dada, dada!" I didn't think I would ever tire of hearing her say that. Her baby vocabulary consisted of only three things at present- 'Mama', 'Dada', and 'Boo!'. The 'Boo', I guessed, came from many hours spent playing peek-a-boo with Masen.

I then remembered what had first assaulted my senses the moment I walked in the house.

"Sweetheart, what's for dinner?"

She gasped and turned towards the stove. Sure enough, there were gray curls of smoke emitting from the pot she had been stirring. I highly doubted that what was inside was edible now. Bella cast a frustrated glare at the pot and swiftly dumped its contents into the trash.

"Well, dinner's ruined," She said sourly. I came over and kissed the pout on her lips.

"Love," I said, placing kisses all over her face, "why don't we go out? You've been stuck here alone with the kids for two days and I think you could use a break. Besides, I heard of a new place opening up in town and I thought we could try it."

She looked up at me, and her face slipped into a frown. "No, Edward. I'm just- I- I- just don't feel like going out. Please, can we stay here? I'm so tired."

It was then that I noticed the dark purple circles under her eyes. She did look extremely tired and I realized that dinner out might be more harmful than helpful.

"Of course, honey. We'll stay here. I'll make something." I truly did not want to do much of anything, much less cook, but I didn't want Bella to have to do more than she needed to. I worried about her. Especially with the stress of looking after three small children while I was at work for long periods of time. Taking care of little children by yourself all day is harder than most people think. I would know. I remember when Alice would take Bella shopping and I would be home alone with our precious little ones. I would call her often during these excursions, just to have a sane person to talk to. And also to ask what I should do, say, perhaps, when someone got spaghetti sauce on the pale carpet. Not that that ever happened…much.

I walked over to the stainless steel refrigerator, still holding Ella (who was contentedly sucking her thumb), and opened the door. I guess Bella didn't go to the store like she had originally planned. There was hardly any food in the fridge. I doubted that there was much in the pantry either. I got the jelly and the peanut butter out, and then grabbed a loaf of bread out of the breadbox. I put the items on a counter that wasn't too cluttered with stuff, and searched for a couple of knives to spread the PB & J with. I looked over at Bella. She was biting her lip, a sure sign that she felt bad about something.

"Honey?" I asked, placing my hand under her chin and lifting it up so I could look into her eyes. "What is it, Bella?"

She sighed. "I'm so bad at this stay at home mother business."

I nearly dropped the baby. "Isabella Cullen, do not ever say that again. Why on earth would you think something like that?" I was almost furious with her. She did not give herself the credit she deserved.

Bella began to sob.

"It's not fair, to you, Edward, to come home to a messy house and crying children and burned meals. And me- I haven't worn makeup or fixed my hair decently in weeks. I know we haven't had a night by ourselves or even done something remotely romantic in a very long time. I bet the last thing you want to do right now is make us dinner. You haven't slept in two days; you're covered in soot and are in desperate need of a hot shower. You shouldn't have to do my jobs too."

"Bella, love, it's just PB & J, nothing special. I _want_ to do this for you, Bella. Honey, it isn't about what's fair to me. All that matters is that I have you and the precious children you've given me. Children cry and make messes. It's what they do best. Please believe me, Bella, you're not a bad mother. You do a wonderful job with our children and our home. The fact that you even try to do the best you can is good enough for me. And Bella, I love coming home to you. It doesn't matter if you wear makeup or fix your hair. Sure, it's nice, but Bella, I would be sad if you put more time into how you looked than you did focusing on our family."

She looked up at me, sniffling. I wiped the tears from her eyes with my thumb, and held her gently to me.

"Really, Edward?"

"Really." I gently kissed her, and then said, "Sweetheart, why don't you gather the kids and I'll make the sandwiches and we can eat?"

"Alright. I am sorry about the lack of food. I meant to go shopping, but-" I cut her off.

"Bella, it's okay. I like peanut butter and jelly. Tomorrow's Saturday. We can go grocery shopping then."

She nodded, and kissed me on the cheek. She took Ella from my arms, and then walked out of the kitchen. I turned my attention to sandwich making. I made four PB & J sandwiches (I didn't make one for Ella because Bella was still breastfeeding), cutting them diagonally in half like Esme used to do, and set them on plates. I quickly cleared the table, and placed the dirty dishes in the sink. I grabbed a sponge out of a drawer, wet it under the faucet, and cleaned off the table. Apparently the darling who had put the grape jelly all over the cabinets had decided to cover the table with it as well.

I still couldn't believe that Bella thought she was doing a bad job here at home. I didn't marry her because I thought she would make a good little housekeeper and nanny. I married her because I loved her. Sure, it was always nice to come home to a clean house, food on the table, and happy children, but most times, that was not what happened. When Bella and I were first married, we lived in a comfortable little cycle. The house was almost always sparkling, we did our laundry on Mondays and Thursdays, we ate well and nothing got burned, and we had time to go to the park or a museum at the drop of a hat. I did not realize that our peaceful days would be short lived. Masen came along the week after our first anniversary. Our priorities quickly changed, and many hours of sleep were lost between the both of us. That led to short tempers and long arguments. If you really want to get to know somebody, have a baby with them. That'll bring the harsh reality out. Bella and I soon formed a routine that worked for the both of us, but only snippets of our carefree lives remained. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Having our children was one of the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon me.

I was wiping my hands on a dishtowel when Masen came barreling into the kitchen. "Daddy! You're home!" He jumped into my arms and hugged my neck as tightly as his four year old arms would allow.

"Hey little man, I missed you!" I ruffled his brown hair that he had inherited from Bella.

"I missed you too, Daddy! Were there lots of big fires?" he asked. He was always very curious about my job.

"Yep, there were some pretty large ones. But we got them put out just in the nick of time."

"Wow, Daddy, were you scared?" He asked, eyes round. He asked me this every time I came home.

"A little, but I just said a prayer and got the job done." I didn't feel the need to share with him that yes, I was terrified, not of the flames, but of the risk of not seeing my family again every time I was called to duty.

Bella walked in, Ella in her arms and Libby by her side. She set Ella in her highchair and gave her some Cheerios to snack on while the rest of us ate our simple dinner. I put Masen down and he went over to the table. I set a plate in front of Libby and she looked up at me questioningly.

"Daddy make?" She asked, incredulous.

Bella giggled, and I fought to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "Yes, Libby, Daddy is capable of making a sandwich."

Dinner was a quick and quiet affair. After everyone was finished, I suggested that Bella bathe the girls and Masen and I would tackle the kitchen. Bella willingly agreed, and left me and our four year old wondering what I had gotten us into.

"You sure 'bout cleanin' this, Daddy?" Masen asked, looking worriedly at the mess that surrounded us.

"Yes, Masen, let's do this for Mommy." _And my sanity,_ I silently added, grimly rolling up my sleeves.

We quickly got to work. I washed the dishes and Masen wiped off the cabinets that he admitted to smearing the purple goop on. I wiped down the stove and all the countertops while Masen put all of the magnets and pictures back on the refrigerator. I took my time sweeping the floor and Masen held the dustpan for me. About half an hour after we started cleaning, the kitchen was sparkling. We went through the living room, dining room, and hallway, picking up miscellaneous toys and baby items. After putting them in their respective places, I shut off the lights in the front of the house and went into the bathroom to bathe Masen. Bella was getting the girls ready for bed and I could hear Libby pleading to be allowed to stay up later.

When I was rinsing Masen's hair, Bella came in and told me that Libby wanted me to tuck her in. She finished his bath, and I walked down the hall into the bedroom that my three children shared. The house only had two bedrooms and a study, but it also had two bathrooms which made it convenient. The kids' bedroom had been cozy when it was just Masen and Libby, but having two beds and Ella's crib in there made the room feel cramped. I wanted so badly for my family to have every luxury (including separate bedrooms) but my fireman's salary did not make it possible for me to even think about purchasing a larger home in the near future. I slowly pushed open the door, and found Libby lying down in her little bed, a quilt under her chin, waiting for me.

The small bedroom walls were a soft ivory color, with painted images of Peter Rabbit on them, courtesy of Alice. Facing me were Masen and Libby's beds that I had painted a mint green color. They were side by side, with an antique nightstand between them. A small lamp was set on it, as well as a few books. The beds were covered in warm quilts that my mother in law, Renee had made when she had been into her latest hobby- quilting. The soft quilts were made up of pastel pink, yellow, blue, and green fabric. Above the beds, there was a framed piece of stationary that had their full names written on it in calligraphy, as well as their birthdates and the weight and length they had been when they were born. Again, it was Alice's doing. She had actually picked the theme of the room when we were getting the room ready for Masen's arrival, since Bella and I had no desire to do so at the time. We had just been happy we were getting a baby. Ella's crib was painted in the same shade of green as the other beds, and was against the west wall. She also had a little plaque hanging above her crib like Libby and Masen. The closet was located on the opposite side of the room and I was standing beside the light blue changing table that I frequently knocked into since it was so close to the bedroom door.

"Hey baby," I said, walking towards my little girl, "are you all ready for bed?" I sat down on the bed and kissed her forehead. She nodded and said,"Mhm, Daddy, wook!" She tossed the blanket down, showing me her pink footie pajamas that were decorated with princesses and frogs. "Good girl. Did you get a drink of water?" She nodded again, proudly holding up her purple plastic sippy cup. I leaned over her small frame and simultaneously tickled her little belly and planted kisses on her plump cheeks. She giggled and shrieked, trying to squirm away. After I stopped my attack on her, I pressed my forehead lightly against hers, and kissed her rosy little lips. I said softly, "I love you, princess."

"I wov you too, Daddy." She whispered, and threw her small arms around my neck, placing a baby kiss on _my_ lips. I smiled and unwrapped her arms from my neck, placing them under the quilt. I knew that it was going to snow tonight and I wanted my little girl as warm as possible. "Stay under the covers, okay baby? I don't want you to get cold."

"'Kay, Daddy."

"Sweet dreams, my little Libby."

"You too, Daddy." She yawned, and her eyes slowly slid shut. I got up, and tucked the blankets tightly around the bed. I flipped on the nightlight, and quietly shut the door. I nearly ran smack into Masen, who had been dressed in his own footie pajamas (they were blue and had marine mammals on them), his slightly damp hair plastered to his head. Motioning for him to be quiet, I opened the bedroom door and picked him up, then playfully tossed him on his bed. I repeated the bedtime ritual I had just completed with Libby, and within minutes, he was asleep, breathing deeply. I smiled as I walked out of the room, looking back at their sleeping forms, feeling like the luckiest father on earth to have been blessed with such gifts.

I quickly walked back to mine and Bella's room, wanting more than ever to take a hot shower and cuddle up to my beautiful wife in bed. Our room was panted in the same ivory color as the kids' bedroom. Bella had made me put up a few black and white pictures on the walls, one of us on our wedding day, and one of us with the kids. The other portraits were pictures of people and places that held special places in our hearts, like our parents, and the place Bella and I had met- Forks, Washington. There were three big windows in the room that were currently covered in grey drapes. The queen sized bed was facing the bedroom door, and was covered in ivory and red bed coverings. Gauzy white fabric hung from the bedposts, forming a canopy of sorts. There were two grey nightstands on either sides of the bed, with little paper lamps on them, plus and few books and magazines, and in Bella's case, a baby monitor. I had a red alarm clock on my table. The doors to the big closet were shut, and I noticed that Bella had done the laundry, seeing that our clothes weren't strewn across the room as they usually were. There was a rocking chair that used to be Bella's in one corner of the room, next to the bed. A blanket or two had been tossed upon it, as well as Bella's Boppy pillow. There were a few woven rugs on the floor, and their red, grey, ivory, and black colors contrasted nicely with the dark wood. The door to our bathroom was next to our bed, and I made a beeline for it.

I shut the door, and turned on the shower. I quickly stripped, and realized that I was indeed covered in soot and ashes. I stepped in the steaming shower, nearly moaning in pleasure as the scalding droplets of water touched my skin. I took my time, making sure I had gotten rid of the smoke smell that liked to linger on me. The water soon ran cold, and I jumped out, quickly drying myself off as I could feel the temperature in the house dropping. I dressed in my warmest plaid sweatpants and a dark green long sleeve tee shirt. I dried my hair as best I could and walked back into the bedroom. Bella was now in bed, on the left side (her side), feeding Ella. She too was dressed in her warmest pajamas, but instead of being green, they were blue, which was my favorite color on her. I walked over to where she sat, and pressed my lips to hers, then kissed the baby in her arms.

"I'm just going to throw my laundry in the washing machine, and then I'll be in." I whispered to her, not wanting to scare Ella.

"I already took care of it. Get in."

"I love you so much."

She laughed softly. "I know."

I was just about to fling myself onto the bed when there was a resounding CRACK followed immediately by a loud boom. Instantly, the lights went out. I groaned. The snowstorm was apparently in full force, and a powerful gust of wind must have blown down a power line.

"Daddy!" came two frightened cries from the direction of the kids' bedroom.

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AN: So… I left you with a little cliffy. 5-10 reviews and you'll know what frightened Masen and Libby! Please, as I said before, leave a review, constructive criticism, a suggestion, or simply something that you liked. I would love to hear from you, especially since I won't continue if I don't get feedback!

Thank you, yourbrowneyedgirl


	2. Let it Snow? I Don't Think So!

AN: Thank you for all the reviews, story alerts, and favorites! Special thanks to **SpencerReidFan89**, who was my first reviewer! Here is the next chapter, but that does not mean I will continue this story. **Please read my Author's Note at the bottom; it's very important!**

This is way early because I'm going out of town tomorrow. I was so motivated by your responses that I finished this chapter and posted it! Enjoy!

I don't have a playlist for this story yet, but I'll let you know if any particular songs inspire me. The theme song for this story is "Human" by Jon McLaughlin, if that helps…

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Previously…

_I was just about to fling myself onto the bed when there was a resounding CRACK followed immediately by a loud boom. Instantly, the lights went out. I groaned. The snowstorm was apparently in full force, and a powerful gust of wind must have blown down a power line._

"_Daddy!" came two frightened cries from the direction of the kids' bedroom. _

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-Chapter Two: Let it Snow? I Don't Think So!-

I told Bella to stay put as I went to go comfort my children. As soon as I got to their room, I realized that with the power being out, we would be unable to have the heat on for the house. The kids would need to sleep in our bed to stay warm. I walked in, and both Masen and Libby were sitting up in their beds, with scared looks on their faces.

"Daddy? What was that?" Masen asked worriedly.

"Just the wind, buddy. I think it knocked down a pole. It's no big deal; it happens all the time." _Was I trying to reassure him or my own self?_

"Daddy!" Libby whimpered. In the darkness I could almost see the tears that were threatening to run down her face. She was the most frightened out of all my children of loud noises. She held up her arms, reaching for me, clasping and unclasping her little hands in a frenzy. I plucked Libby from her bed, and held her tightly to my chest. I slowly rocked her from side to side as she buried her face in my neck. There was a sudden dampness on the collar of my shirt- she was crying.

"Shh, Libby sweetheart, it was just the wind, shh, baby…Daddy's got you." I soothed, trying to downplay what had just occurred. This was the part of parenting that I loved and at the same time, found the most confusing- telling your child that things were going to be alright even though you were just as scared as they were. _What happens when a parent needs a parent?_ I pondered this as I slowly walked over to Masen's bed and lifted him up, now holding one kid on each hip. Bella often joked that she didn't need to go to the gym because she was always "lifting weights"- by that, she meant the kids. I now understood, and made a mental note to make sure that the only 'weights' she was lifting were Ella and occasionally Libby. Masen was getting too big to be easily picked up, especially by someone petite like my wife.

I went back to the master bedroom, trying distractedly to answer my children's questions as I wondered if I could get the old generator to work. I set them in mine and Bella's bed and fumbled around in my nightstand drawer for the flashlight I kept there. I flicked it on, and could see Bella looking worriedly at me. Ella was in her lap, asleep, with Masen and Libby lying across her legs. She was gently stroking their hair in a soothing manner. I would be surprised if they were still awake by the time I came back from outside. I grabbed my jacket out of the closet, hastily donning it, and slipped my boots on.

"Edward?"

"It's alright, love, I'm just going to see if I can get the generator to work. I'll be back in a few minutes and I'll bring you a flashlight." I was against using candles in the house for obvious reasons.

"Be safe, honey."

"Isn't that my line?" I teased, and stepped out into the dark hallway. I made my way outside, shivering. I rounded the corner of the house and saw my arch nemesis, Ye Olde Generator. We had never gotten along, and the only reason why it hadn't been replaced was because I didn't have the money. _Yet,_ I thought wickedly. I realized that it was colder than I thought and snow was falling heavily. I mentally chastised myself for not wearing a hat or gloves and prayed that the unreliable generator would decide to work, just this once. I fiddled with the darn thing for about ten minutes before I cursed at it, kicked it for good measure, and gave up. I would have to find another way to keep us warm, at least for tonight. I walked back into the house, blowing onto my hands to keep them from freezing. I noticed it was pretty cold inside and I was worried. I was sure that the five of us in one bed would be cozy enough, but I didn't want anyone to get sick, especially the baby. I remembered the fireplace in the living room, as well as the pull-out couch. I decided to light a fire, even though I hated flames inside the house (firefighter, remember?), and we would sleep on the pull-out tonight.

I stumbled my way into the kitchen, and rummaged around in one of the drawers for another flashlight to give to Bella. I also pulled out a box of matches (I didn't have any lighters around because Masen had accidentally learned to use one and I didn't want him to set the house on fire. That would be quite the story for the papers- _Son of Fireman Burns down House_- yeah, no). I went into the living room and squatted down to the fireplace. I pulled open the gate the covered it, and stacked up the wood that was in there as best I could. I opened the small box and proceeded to light the first match. Six matches and two burnt fingers later, I had a nice fire going. I stood up and replaced the gate. I moved the coffee table to the side, and took the cushions off of the sofa. I quickly pulled out the bed, wincing as loud squeaks emitted from the metal frame. I went back to the bedroom and quietly explained my plan to Bella. She quickly gathered up the blankets that were on our bed, as well as the quilts that were in the kids' room. I scooped up Libby and Ella, chuckling at their soft snores, with Masen trailing sleepily behind me, and we went into the warm living room. I explained to Masen that the fire in the fireplace was dangerous and that he could not go near it, while Bella made up the bed on the couch. A few minutes later, the bed was ready.

"Alright Edward, let's get them in. It's freezing." My wife gently picked Libby up and laid her in the makeshift bed. Libby instantly curled up into a little ball, her thumb in her mouth. I put Ella next to her on the left, incase she needed Bella during the night. I helped a yawning Masen beside Libby, and I slipped in next to him. The bed was slightly crowded, but the kids were small, and it was pretty warm. I looked over the heads of our sleeping children at Bella. Her beautiful face was illuminated by the firelight, and I was reminded again of how blessed I was. I leaned over, and pressed my lips to her neck. She was so warm. Bella shivered in delight, and we gently kissed and touched until we turned red with embarrassment that we were making out in front of our children, sleeping or not. Bella soon joined them in slumber, and I quickly followed, thinking of the snow that was whirling outside.

I woke sometime later in the dark, slightly startled. The first thing I noticed was that neither Bella nor Ella was in bed. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. Then I heard a small crash. It sounded like it had come from the kitchen. I got up, willing my eyes to stay open as I made my way to the kitchen in the blackness that surrounded me. I sleepily grabbed the fire poker from beside the fireplace to use as a weapon incase the person who was in the kitchen was not who I thought it was. Like a fire poker was really going to hold off an intruder. An intruder who would break into a house in the middle of a snowstorm- right. I think I was going slightly insane from the lack of sleep. I found Bella standing by the sink, a whimpering Ella cradled on her hip. Ella was squirming in her arms, wanting to be put down. One of Bella's small white hands was digging around in the drawer next to her. She was obviously trying to find something. A few plastic cups and utensils had fallen to the floor and they must have caused the crash I had heard. Bless my wife and her clumsiness. I heard her soft voice coo, "Shh, Ella darling, you'll wake Daddy. He's very tired and doesn't need to wake up to your crying. Please, baby, shh…"

"Bella, what are you looking for?" I asked, stepping towards her and picking up the plastic items, all while carefully ridding myself of my 'weapon'. I didn't want Bella to think I was losing my mind.

"The baby Tylenol. Edward, have you seen it?" She didn't look up as she continued her search.

"Love, go back to bed. Is it her teeth?"

"Yes, and she's running a fever. Edward, I'm sure she'll calm down in a minute. You need your rest. We're fine. Just as soon as I find the medicine…"

I took the baby from her arms. "Bella, go. I've got this." I all but growled at her. Those deep violet circles under her eyes were never going to go away if she kept wearing herself out. Thankfully, she didn't fight me, and slipped out of the kitchen. Ella wriggled in my arms. I put the palm of my hand on her forehead, and she whimpered in discomfort. She did have a fever. I rifled through the contents of the drawer, finally finding the magical medicine that would relieve the pain Ella was feeling. I had heard that the pain that comes from teething is hard for even adults to stand. I twisted the bottle open, and filled the little medicine dropper to the appropriate level with the pink liquid inside. Now came the hard part. All of my children balked at taking medicine. I understood why- the stuff was nasty, but did they really have to be so difficult when I tried to get them to take it? I held Ella up with one arm and readied the dropper with my other hand. She was still wailing. I waited for the opportune moment, and when she opened her mouth particularly wide, in went the dropper. She choked for a second on the medicine, before reluctantly swallowing most of it. I smiled in triumph. Mission completed. I had gotten lucky this time; often times more medicine ended up on me or the floor than it did in her mouth. I rinsed off the dropper and dried it, then placed it back in the bottle. I put it away and sighed. Ella still continued to cry, the little tears streaking down her cheeks making her a pitiful sight. I jiggled her in my arms, and tried to get her to shush. I snuck a glance at the microwave clock- 3:17 a.m. Good grief. I had to get this baby back to sleep. She had to be tired- but what did she want so badly that it kept her from sleeping? She wasn't hungry, I checked her diaper- it was clean, and I had just given her medicine- what was the matter?

"Ella Renesmee, what do you want?" I whisper-yelled in desperation.

Someone decided to take pity on me, and I heard a small voice inside my head say, _what did you give her medicine for, Edward?_ Oh. Pain. From her teeth. I touched my finger to Ella's lips, and she grabbed it and stuck it in her mouth, gently biting it. She cooed happily and I understood what she wanted. She wanted something to chew on. I let her bite on my finger as I made my way to the freezer. I knew Bella kept frozen washcloths in there for just such an occasion. I grabbed one, and gently placed it in her mouth while freeing my finger. Problem solved. The tears stopped, and only my exhaustion was stopping me from dancing around and singing the Hallelujah chorus. I stood in the kitchen, my lower back pressing into the counter behind me as I rocked her to sleep. She sighed contentedly and I did too, as her eyes slowly drooped shut. I took the washcloth out of her mouth and set it by the sink. It was now 3:34 a.m. I slowly walked back into the living room and sat on the bed. The moment I tried to set Ella down, she whimpered and her eyes fluttered open. I quickly cradled her to my chest, and her eyes closed. I tried to lay her down a few more times, but it was no use. Every time, her eyes would open and one of her small fists would grasp my shirt. She did not want me to let her go. I carefully lay down on the bed and put the baby on my chest. I groaned at feeling the lumpy mattress that was prodding my back but exhaustion quickly won out over discomfort and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

I awakened later in the morning, blinking at the sunlight that flooded the living room. I gazed down at Ella who was sleeping peacefully on my chest, her unruly hair tickling my chin. I looked to my left, and saw that Masen, Libby, and Bella were still asleep. I lifted up my wrist and checked my watch. It was a little after seven. I shivered, and realized that the fire from last night had gone out. I slowly got up and placed the baby in the warm spot I had just vacated. I stumbled over to the fireplace, and reached for the box of matches on the coffee table. I lit one of the matches and threw it into the charred wood. A small fire started instantly, and I hoped that this little bit of luck would be the start to a good day, unlike the stressing events of last night. I scrubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and rubbed my jaw, feeling the light stubble that had grown during the night, since I had been too tired to shave after I showered. I was a mess, and probably still had deep purple shadows under my eyes.

My hopes for a better today were instantly dashed when I looked out one of the windows. The snow was probably three feet deep and still falling, despite the bright sunlight. There was no way we were getting out of this house today. I felt two warm arms wrap around my waist, and Bella rested her head on my back.

"How bad is it?" she murmured sleepily.

"It's pretty deep. We're not going anywhere today." I sighed, evading the seriousness of the situation. We were stranded in a house with no power, a possibly sick baby, and…oh my word. We had hardly any food in the house. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. We could be stuck for days! I immediately went into my "Daddy-Panic Mode", as Bella had so lovingly dubbed it. But I knew that she was a worrier, and I wanted to break the grave news to her without scaring her. I turned to her and gently gave her warm little kisses on her nose, eyelids, and soft ruby lips. I also flashed her my crooked smile that she loved so much, but she wasn't buying it. If anything, motherhood had made Bella as sharp as a tack. Her brown eyes flew open and she glared at me.

"I didn't ask you how deep the snow was, Edward Anthony, I asked you how bad the situation was that we're in. Quit trying to dazzle me and answer the question!" She hissed.

I sighed. "I don't know, love. I don't think they'll send out the snow blowers and such until the snow stops. I'll go out and check the generator again, but I doubt it will work. The only thing that bothers me is that we might be eating peanut butter and jelly for the next few days."

If Bella was worried, she didn't show it. "It'll be okay, I know it. I'm just worried about our parents. They must know by now that we've been in a pretty bad storm, I hope they know we're alright."

I mentally slapped myself. I knew that Carlisle and Esme were probably wondering about our condition and Charlie must have been concerned about his only daughter and grandchildren. I didn't even think about calling them last night. I turned away from Bella and walked into our bedroom. I found my black cell phone in the bathroom and turned it on. Holding it up, I noted that I had only one wireless bar. I hoped that it would be enough to call our parents with. I dialed Charlie's number and held the phone out to Bella, who had followed me. We listened to it ring a few times before he picked up.

"Hey, Edward. How are you holding up?"

Bella bit her lip. "Hi Dad, it's me."

"Bells! Honey, are you guys alright? I heard there was a big snowstorm up there. You guys didn't lose power, did you?"

Bella looked up at me, clearly torn between telling her father the truth and worrying him unnecessarily. I nodded at her encouragingly.

"Uh, well, yeah, we did, but we're okay. Edward built a fire in the fireplace and we had the kids in bed with us. We were pretty warm."

"Why didn't he just turn on the generator?" Bella winced.

"It doesn't…exactly…work, Dad."

Total silence on Charlie's end. I was in for it. Charlie had made it clear over the years that I was not his favorite person, which was mostly due to my breaking Bella's heart early on in our relationship, and I was still subjected to his criticisms every so often.

"Why doesn't it work, Bells? I would think Edward would make sure something as important as that was fixed, honey." He said it nicely, but his words still stung. Way to make me feel like a bad husband and father. Bella always got upset when Charlie pointed out my shortcomings, no matter how accurate they were.

"The generator is temperamental, Char- Dad. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. It's not Edward's fault. Look, we just called to say that we're fine, and we'll come and visit you and Sue in Forks as soon as the storm blows over, alright?" Sue was Charlie's girlfriend from La Push that he had been seeing for about a year. It was strange to think that my father in law had a girlfriend. Not that he was too old; it was just weird… and funny. At least he had his own relationship to worry about- before he had met Sue, he had wanted to know about all the little things Bella and I did together, and it had been annoying, to say the least. I was glad he cared, but sometimes…he had been a little too caring.

"Sorry Bells, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure Edward's taking good care of you and the kids. See you soon, honey."

"Bye, Dad."

Bella ended the call and handed the phone to me. "Call your mom. She's probably worried sick." I dialed my parents' number and the phone was answered on the first ring.

"Edward! Thank god! Are you guys all right?" my mother's worried voice floated through the line.

"We're fine, Esme. We've lost power, and we'll probably be stuck here for a few days, but we're staying dry and warm, and the kids are fine."

"Oh, I'm sorry about the power, sweetheart, but I'm glad to hear you're alright. Your father and I were worried. I talked to Emmett this morning and he said that Seattle got three and a half feet of snow last night! I almost thought he was pranking me until I checked the weather myself. Well, I know you've probably go things to do, so I'll let you go. Say hi to Bella and give the kids a kiss from us. We'll see you at Thanksgiving."

"I will, mom. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetie. Bye." I closed the phone and looked at Bella. Her eyes were filled with an unknown emotion. She stepped up to me and buried her face in my neck. I bent down and rested my head on top of hers, my arms encircling her figure. I kissed her soft hair, breathing in its scent. It had a strangely calming effect on me.

"I wasn't being untruthful, love, we'll be fine. We've got each other, and the kids. That's all that matters." I said quietly. She nodded in assent, placing tender kisses on my neck. All too soon, I heard the children stirring in the living room.

"We should go check on them." I pulled Bella into the living room, holding tightly to her hand. Sure enough, all three of our children were in various stages of waking up.

"Mama, mama, mama," Ella was sitting up and held out her little arms to Bella, wanting to be picked up. Bella scooped her up and they nuzzled noses. Ella giggled happily, kicking her little feet, her small fist wedged tightly in her mouth. "I'm glad someone's in a good mood this morning," Bella cooed at her. She pressed a hand to Ella's temple and frowned.

"Feels like she's still got that fever."

"Maybe so. However, a person's body heat rises while they sleep. We'll take her temperature after breakfast and see if she's got a fever."

"Mommy, my tummy is hungwy." Libby was rubbing her eyes and yawning. Her thick curls that fell almost to her shoulders were in an adorable disarray.

"My tummy too, Mommy." added Masen. His brown locks were sticking up all over his head. It was a funny sight to behold and I hoped that my own hair wasn't that bad. I looked in the mirror that hung over the couch- it was worse.

"Well, then, let's go eat." I was surprised by how cheerful my wife sounded and was thankful for it. I didn't want the kids to think anything was wrong. For all Libby knew, we had slept on the couch and lit a fire in the fireplace just for the heck of it. I was pretty sure that Masen knew something was up, but he didn't comment on our unique situation.

We went into the kitchen and I peeked into the pantry. It was pretty empty in there, but I returned with a half- consumed box of chocolate Pop Tarts. I didn't really know why they were in our pantry, and normally I would have thrown a fit at their presence, but man does not live on PB & J alone, that much I had found out last night. One unhealthy breakfast would not kill us. I grabbed a few bananas out of the fruit basket before I came to the table. I sat down, and ripped open one of the silver packages. I gave one Pop Tart to Masen and the other to Libby. I opened a second package and repeated the process with me and Bella, who had Ella nestled in her arms nursing happily away under a pink blanket that was thrown over her shoulder. I then divvied up the bananas, reminding Masen to take small bites. We solemnly ate our cold breakfasts, one of us occasionally getting up to refill a water glass. The nice thing about our house was that our water came from a filtered well deep in the ground. If all else failed, we would still have drinking water.

After breakfast, we got dressed and Bella and I lounged on the couch, debating on what to do with the rest of our day. We had nowhere to go and there wasn't much we could do with the power being out. We had checked Ella's temperature and she still had a very slight fever, but that was to be expected if her teeth were coming in. It was only nine o'clock in the morning and already we were bored out of our minds. Ella was in my arms, and I tossed her high above my head, again and again, relishing the sound of her baby giggles. Bella did not appreciate our game and would occasionally gasp, "Edward!" and put a hand on my forearm to still my movements. I glanced at Libby and Masen, who had their little noses pressed against the frosty glass of the living room window, enthralled with watching the snow fall. It was rare that we got this much snow, and I knew that they were dying to play in it.

"Daddy? We play, in snow?" Libby chirped timidly, turning her face towards me.

"Yeah! Can we? I wanna use my sled, please Daddy?!" Masen chimed in, looking at me expectantly.

Bella looked at me, her eyebrows raised, waiting for my answer. I considered it for a moment before slowly nodding my head. Libby squealed, and Masen made a beeline for the front door. Bella immediately leaped form the couch and gently pulled on the back of his shirt.

"Slow down there, kiddo. You need to get some warmer clothes on before you even think about going outside."

"But Mommy-"

"No buts, Masen, let's go in your room and get out your snowsuit. C'mon, Libby honey."

She led them into their bedroom and I followed behind, bouncing Ella in my arms. She seemed to be over her crying jag and I was relieved. I laid Ella out on the changing table, and put some little white socks on her feet. I pulled a pair of flannel pajamas over her head, completely covering the outfit she had on, following with the purple down snowsuit Bella handed to me. I found a little knit hat in the closet that had snowflakes embroidered on it and I put it on Ella's head, ignoring her attempts to pull it off. I tied it securely under her chin and kissed her nose. I put on her purple mittens and her tiny snow boots. I set her on the floor to crawl around (more like roll around, she had so many clothes on) and turned to help Masen put on his snowsuit.

"Daddy, my foot's stuck! Ugh!" I chuckled. I gently held his leg and deftly slipped it through the leg of his orange snowsuit. I zipped his suit up tightly; making sure that snow would not be able to leak past the suit and into his clothing underneath. He held up his boots for me to put on, and I put them on his feet, making sure the laces were tight. I handed him his hat and told him not to take it off once we got outside. Bella had finished with Libby and we told her and Masen to go sit on the living room couch and wait for us while we changed. I scooped Ella off the floor and went into the bedroom, shutting the door after Bella came in. I laid Ella carefully on the bed, and she amused herself by staring at the ceiling fan and sucking her thumb. I had on sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, plus socks, so there was no need to break out the flannels. Thank goodness. They itched like crazy. I put on my warmest coat, as well as my black snow pants. Bella was dressed similarly to me, except her ensemble was a deep ruby red. She was tying up her hair and I was rifling through our dresser, looking for my gloves, when I heard a muffled thump and a loud "Ow!" come from the living room. Not two seconds later, Libby barged into our bedroom with a scared look on her face.

"Masen owie! Masen owie!" She said breathlessly.

I exchanged a worried glance with Bella and raced out of the room. There, by the coffee table, Masen was sitting on the floor, tears streaking down his face. He was cradling his right forearm to his chest…like it was broken.

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Author's Note: Uh oh! Does Masen have a broken arm? Review and find out!

1. Once again, thank you all for reviewing and adding my story to your alerts and favorites. I am so touched by it. As of right now, over 110 people have read the first chapter and I have 11 reviews for it. However, I need to know that the people who read my story actually like it. If 110 people read my story, but I only get 11 reviews, that tells me that only 11 people like my story. **Please tell me that is not the case!** I cannot write for only 11 people, sorry. I have a lot of demands on my time and I need you guys to make this story worth my while. I love this story, and I would hate to not continue it. **So, no new chapter until I get at LEAST ****30+ reviews**** FOR THIS CHAPTER. **I need a continuous stream of reviews and alerts, too. **I promise I will not be like this in the future; I just want to know if what I write is worth continuing and making new stories out of.** Please. It's all up to you guys. **The third chapter could be up next week or never- you decide**. I'm really sorry to be mean, but it's something I have to do. It only takes a minute to review and you don't even need an account to do it. Just tell me if you liked this chapter or hated it, please. Thank you. If I get my desired number of reviews, you'll see a new chapter next week, since I'm going out of town for an extended weekend. **Don't let this be the last chapter!!**

2. As you may have noticed, I am having trouble writing Masen/Edward moments. I haven't been around a 4 year old boy in a while and I really like doing Edward and his girls. If you think of it, please PM me if you have something I could use in a scene. I will give you full props for it.

3. Please tell me if this story is boring. It is meant to be just pointless fluff, but I don't want it to be boring. If I write more stories, they will be full of drama and angst, but not this one. I also hope I didn't make Charlie too much of a bad guy- I tried to match his attitude to the one he has in the books. He's accepted Edward, but still has his moments.

4. Does anyone want any of this from Bella's point of view? She's harder to write, but if a lot of you really want it, I can do it. I like hearing from Edward. It's like you can never get enough :)

5. ***Please vote on the poll I created! It's on my profile and will determine if there will be another story after this one is done!***

Thank you all so very much and my apologies for the huge AN, **yourbrowneyedgirl**

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**30** reviews? I tell you what: review and I'll send you your very own virtual housecleaning, firefighting, peanut butter and jelly making Edward :)


	3. Now You're Really Living!

AN: Hey guys, I'm back! Thank you for all the reviews and alerts and favorites! I decided that asking for 30 reviews for one chapter was ridiculous, so here I am with Chapter Three. This is probably my favorite one so far. You have the children I babysit to thank for this one. I don't think I've ever seen what's in this chapter in any other Twilight fanfic. So, enjoy! *smirks*

Special thanks to **Felineyx** (who answers all my questions), **heatzi**, **umbreon101**, **hoobastank22**, and **Edward'sGirlForEternity**. You guys put the biggest smiles on my face.

Playlist for this chapter- "Lost!" by Coldplay and "Hey Man" by Eels.

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Previously…

_I exchanged a worried glance with Bella and raced out of the room. There, by the coffee table, Masen was sitting on the floor, tears streaking down his face. He was cradling his right forearm to his chest…like it was broken._

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-Chapter Three: Now You're Really Living!-

I knelt down beside my son, trying not to let the fear I was feeling show on my face. If his arm really was broken, I didn't know what we were going to do. There was no way we would be able to get him to a hospital with all the snowfall. With my father being a doctor, I knew how to treat a broken arm, but serious complications could arise if limb was not set right or treated properly. I just prayed it wasn't broken.

"Hey little man, let me see your arm." I reached for him, but he backed away.

"No, Daddy! Don't touch! It hurts!" He said, crying harder.

"Masen let me look at it. I need to know what's wrong with your arm. I promise I'll be gentle."

He sniffled, and let me take his arm. I gingerly felt it, but it was impossible to know if it was broken with all the clothing he had on. I carefully pulled his arm out of his snowsuit, and pushed up the sleeve of his undershirt, exposing the pale white limb. It didn't look broken, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I gently prodded and poked his arm. He let out a small cry of pain when I touched his wrist, and I realized that he must have sprained it.

"What happened, Edward? What's wrong?" Bella walked in, holding Ella on her hip.

"I think he just sprained his wrist. Definitely your kid, Mrs. Cullen."

"I resent that. He probably got cocky and decided to jump off the coffee table. Definitely _your_ kid, Mr. Cullen."

"Whatever."

"You know I'm right."

"Right or not, could you please go get your kid some ice for his wrist?"

"Evading the truth once again, Mr. Cullen. But, I'll go get _your_ kid some ice."

Libby and Masen looked at us like we were crazy. We probably were. Bella waltzed off to get Masen's ice, while I tested his wrist to make sure it was only sprained and nothing more. I iced his wrist for five minute intervals, and he claimed that it felt much better after about three treatments. I let him put his outerwear back on, and after making sure everyone had on their hats and gloves, we trooped outside into the white sunlight.

Libby got really excited when she saw all the snow. She raced around the backyard, scooping of handfuls of the frozen crystals and throwing them into the air. She would laugh delightedly whenever the snow landed on her face.

"Wook, Mommy! Snow! Snow!" She ran to Bella and held up fistfuls of the sparkling ice.

"Yes, baby, snow. There's a lot of it, isn't there?" Bella laughed.

"We make a snow'mam?" Libby asked excitedly.

"Of course we can, princess," I said. I gave Ella to Bella and took Libby's hand. We walked over to a relatively flat portion of the frozen ground and got to work. Pretty soon, we had a mound of snow that, if you looked closely, resembled a snowman. Masen had brought me two sticks for arms, and Libby and I used acorns to form the mouth and nose. The snowman didn't look too bad, seeing as one of its creators had been two years old and the other had been, well, immensely sleep deprived.

We spent the rest of the morning creating other snowmen, snow angels, and after Masen had learned the art of snowball making, we even had a small-scale snowball fight. After that, it became apparent that our small children were fading fast and were getting too cold for comfort. We went inside the warm house, shaking the snow off our clothes and carelessly kicking off our boots. Bella helped Libby and Masen out of their snowsuits and told them to go play before lunch. Bella asked me if I would put Ella down for her morning nap while she changed. I agreed, and took the baby from her arms, stealing a kiss in the process.

I carried a very sleepy Ella into the kids' bedroom and laid her on the changing table. I undid her snowsuit, and got her out of her clothes. I quickly changed her diaper, and pulled a little white sleeper over her head. She was practically asleep as I laid her in her crib. Carefully I tucked the blankets tightly around her small frame-she had a tendency to kick the blankets off while she slept. I brushed the hair off her forehead and gently kissed her temple. "Sleep well, baby." I watched her eyes close, and then I quietly exited the room, shutting the door softly behind me.

I went to my own room and changed out of my wet clothing, and put on some flannel pants and a long sleeve shirt. I put my clothes in the bathroom to dry, and slipped on some thick socks. The wood flooring got incredibly cold when it was chilly outside.

I walked back into the kitchen and began rummaging around in the cupboards, looking for lunch. I was once again reminded of how little food we had. I had just resigned myself to another PB&J when Bella came walking in, dressed in some navy sweatpants and one of her own (for once) long sleeve tee shirts.

"Love?" I looked at her expectantly.

"I think there's some soup in the pantry. Let's heat that up. I didn't realize how cold it was out there." she said.

I got a can of chicken soup out of the pantry and was about to turn on the stove when I remembered that it was not going to turn on since we didn't have any power. We couldn't eat the soup cold; that was just plain nasty. I looked at Bella questioningly. She, however, was two steps ahead of me.

"Oh, Edward," she sang, "I know exactly how we can heat the soup up!"

"I feel like an eighteenth century housewife." I grumbled ten minutes later, while stirring the soup over the fire in the living room. Bella giggled. I glared at her. I suppose I did make quite a sight- a guy in a pink apron (Bella was _so_ getting a more manly apron for Christmas this year) holding a pot of chicken soup over a small fire in a fireplace, stirring it frantically so the noodles didn't stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. I realized that I had suddenly turned into a mother hen. Thank goodness my brother Emmett wasn't here to see me _cooking_ and _cleaning_. He'd probably think I fell and hit my head or something. Emmett steered clear of "chick work" (as he termed it) whenever he could and he advised me to do the same. I didn't mind it though, and I did have to cook _this_ particular meal, I mean, there was no way I was going to let Bella and the fireplace interact while we were unable to have access to a hospital. I shuddered. Yeah, _no_ way.

The soup was soon deemed hot enough, and I carried it back into the kitchen and set it on the stovetop.

"Lunch is ready!" I called, as Bella was getting out the bowls and spoons. Masen came running in, Libby right behind him.

"What are we having? Oh, nice apron, Daddy," Masen said as he eyed the pot on the stove suspiciously and took a second glance at my attire.

"Chicken soup, Masen. Come sit down." I said, all but ripping off the apron. I did not need Masen to think his dear old dad was having an identity crisis. I ladled the soup into bowls, and set them on the table. We sat down to eat and hungrily sipped the broth.

"This is actually kinda good, Daddy," Masen said.

"Glad you approve, buddy." Bella elbowed me in the side and I nearly upset my soup bowl. I was about to retaliate with a well placed pinch when I heard the sound of liquid spilling.

"Uh oh," Libby said, her brown eyes wide as her soup went literally all over the table. Masen and Bella leaped up instantly, and for once my quick reflexes failed me. I yelped when the hot liquid touched my torso. _That_ got me out of my seat in record time. Bella grabbed some paper towels and began mopping up the mess while I pulled my shirt over my head. That stupid soup had scalded my skin. I quickly went over to the sink and ran some cold water in the faucet. I wet a washcloth under the tap and then placed it on my skin. Sweet relief. I sighed loudly. The coolness of the water felt really good on my overheated torso.

"Are you okay, honey?" Bella asked. She threw the dirty paper towels in the sink and told Masen to sit down and finish his soup. She came over to me and kissed my cheek. I blushed red for being such a girl in front of my wife.

"Yes, Bella, I'm fine. I just need to get a new shirt." I stepped around her and went to our bedroom. I pulled on a new shirt and threw the old one in the laundry room as I made my way back to the kitchen.

"You okays, Daddy?" Libby asked timidly, shyly glancing up at me. I realized she must have felt bad for making a mess and getting it on me.

"Of course, princess. It's okay; I know it was an accident. The soup was just a little hot, that's all." I leaned over the table and kissed the top of her head.

We resumed eating, minus any Niagara Soup Falls episodes. Bella placed the dishes in the sink, and I picked Libby up and headed for the living room, motioning for Masen to follow. I placed her on the couch/bed, and Masen jumped in beside her.

"I want you guys to rest for a little while, okay?"

They nodded their heads, and I kissed them both on their foreheads. Naptime was an essential part of the Cullen household. Without it, I think Bella and I would have gone insane.

After I was satisfied that my children were going to sleep and not act up, I went to look for my wife. I found her sitting on the floor of our bedroom, an assortment of boxes and photo albums strewn around her. She was holding up various pictures, biting her lower lip (which drove me absolutely insane) and murmuring to herself.

I sat next to her and picked up a photo. It was a picture of me and Bella on the beach, before we were married. "Baby, what are you doing with all these pictures?"

"I was hoping to get them sorted into albums. Wanna help?"

"Sure." I scooted closer to her, and pulled her to my side. She was going through a group of pictures that revolved around Ella's birth. There was one of me, holding her minutes after she was born, and another of Bella doing the same. The look on her face was one that was permanently etched into my memory. It was one of indescribable happiness. I'm sure many mothers have that look moments after their children are born, but Ella's birth had given us so much hope after all we had gone through and I had never seen Bella so joyful. Not when she became my wife, and not when she had Masen, either. We had so much to be thankful for and little Ella Renesmee would never let us forget it.

Bella and I spent the next two hours looking at pictures and slipping them into their respective albums. Occasionally, one of us would exclaim over a photograph, and we would reminisce over the memoires it contained. I loved doing little things like this with my wife- only us, doing something we enjoyed, even if it was just sorting pictures. I could tell Bella enjoyed it too, from the way her face would light up and _especially_ when she started stealing kisses. I reluctantly shoved her off of me when we went too far- I was too paranoid to let us get farther than a little kissing and touching. The last thing I wanted to do was explain myself to one of my children if he or she caught us doing something inappropriate.

After I broke away from a kiss for the third time, Bella got annoyed with me.

"My goodness, Edward Anthony, are you planning to become a monk? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you'd fit right in at the monastery, the way you're behaving." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bella, do you remember last Fourth of July?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her. She frowned and blushed crimson. I smirked at her.

"I thought you would. We do not need a repeat of that evening, as much as I would like it-minus the whole Libby and Masen part, of course. After this storm clears up, maybe we'll have my parents watch the kids, how does that sound?"

"Like overnight?"

"Try a whole weekend, Mrs. Cullen."

She blushed again. "Well, when you put it that way…"

We soon finished our little project, and put the now empty boxes and filled photo albums away. I knew the kids would be waking up soon, so Bella and I lounged on our bed, talking about trivial things. I found myself playing with her hair, her hands, everything. I was still completely captivated by Bella as much as when I had first met her. She was my angel, and I was so thankful that out of the immense pool of suitors that begged her attention, she had chosen me. I still didn't know how I could ever deserve to be with her. I loved her so much. I was lavishing my attention on her when I heard faint murmurings coming from the living room. My children were waking up. I reluctantly peeled myself away from Bella and was going to go get Ella from her bed when I heard Libby wail and Masen yell.

"No, Masen! Gimmie my Wamie!"

Libby's Wamie (really, _Lambie_) was a little stuffed lamb that had been a present to her from her Grandpa Charlie. She always slept with it and it was like her security blanket. Lambie was her prized possession and Masen knew it.

I got myself off the bed and walked towards the living room, not liking what I was hearing.

"Gimmie me the book, Libby!"

"Gimmie my Wamie!"

"Gimmie the book first! No? Fine! Say bye bye to Lambie!"

I walked into the living room just in time to see Masen toss her lamb to the top of the bookshelf. Libby screamed and threw a book she had been holding at Masen. It hit him in the chest.

"Ouch! That hurt! You are _so_ mean, Libby! I hate you!" He yelled her.

"I hates _you_, Masen! You no take my Wamie!"

Ah, the joys of parenting. Masen and Libby didn't have fights like these too often, but when they did, both of them ended up in big trouble from me. I didn't like disciplining my kids but I had learned early on that if I let an infraction slide, it would come back to bite me.

"Masen and Elizabeth! What is going on in here?" I didn't yell, but the deadly tone of my voice alerted my children that they were in quite a bit of trouble.

"Libby took my book!"

"Wamie! Gimmie Wamie!" Libby's little face that was a perfect copy of Bella's was streaked with tears. Her cheeks were stained red and if she didn't stop screaming soon, she was going to make herself sick. It had been awhile that she had been this worked up, and I was a little angry. I was annoyed that Masen had gotten her so upset, and that Libby had allowed herself to be so upset. She was only two, but she knew better than to throw a fit like this.

I picked her up from her perch on the couch and went over to the bookshelf. I took the lamb from the shelf and Libby reached for it. I shook my head.

"No, Libby. You need to apologize to Masen for taking his book before you can have Lambie." Her little face saddened, but she turned to Masen and said quietly, "I sowwy Masen."

"Masen?"

"I forgive you." He said sullenly. One repentant child down, one to go.

"Masen, is there something you'd like to say to Libby?"

"Yeah, if you _ever_ touch my book again Lib-"

"Masen…"

"Sorry for taking your stupid-"

"Three strikes and you're out, kiddo." He was a Cullen, alright. So stubborn.

"I'm sorry for taking your Lambie, Libby. Please forgive me." He mumbled.

"I 'give you, Masen!" she said happily. I smiled at her, and gave her her Lambie.

"Wamie!" she joyfully exclaimed, and hugged the little animal to her chest. She peppered the small face with kisses, and began babbling to it in her baby talk. Masen was still frowning and I knew that he sometimes acted out because it seemed like I spent more time with the girls than I did with him. I realized this now as I held Libby. Maybe we could do something together this afternoon.

"Masen, what was the book you were looking at?"

He held up _The Very Hungry Caterpillar_ by Eric Carle.

"It's a cool book, Daddy! There's a lot of pictures in it! Will you read it to me?" He couldn't read yet, but he loved to look at books that had lots of illustrations.

"Sure, buddy." He gave me the book and we settled on the couch. Libby was on my lap, sucking her thumb and clutching her lamb, while Masen had burrowed into my side. I flipped open the book and began to read.

"_In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf_…"

When I finished reading the book, I saw Bella standing in the living room, holding Ella and watching us on the couch.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." She came over to the couch and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Thank you," She breathed, and then kissed Libby on the forehead. "I heard you screaming, sweet pea. Is everything alright?"

"Mhm, Mommy! We read book, Mommy! Catapiwar! See?" She pointed to the cover of the book. Bella laughed. "That was one of my favorite books when I was little."

Ella squirmed and reached for me. "Somebody wants Daddy," Bella said, and handed me the baby. Libby scooted out of my lap and held up her arms for Bella. Bella picked her up and squeezed her gently, giving her an Eskimo kiss.

"Daddy, I'm bored," Masen said, flopping on the couch.

"Well, what do you want to do?" I asked. There wasn't much we could do with the power out, but I'm sure we could think of something.

"We could play a game,"

"No,"

"Do you want to read another book?"

"No, Daddy."

"Do you want to color?"

"That's for babies like Libby." He said venomously.

"I's not a baby, I's a big girl!" Libby said proudly.

"No you're not. You're still a baby. You still wear diapers and suck your thumb. You're a baby."

"No, I's not, Masen!"

Couldn't my children go twenty minutes without fighting?

"Masen, please. Leave your sister alone. Think of something to do or we'll let Libby choose our next activity."

"I can't think of anything!" He whined.

"How about we make a blanket fort?" Bella suggested. Masen and I looked at her incredulously.

"A what?" Bella looked at me in surprise.

"You never made a blanket fort when you were little, Edward?"

"Not that I can remember." A smile spread across her face.

"Well then, I'll have to show you."

She shook out the blankets that were lying haphazardly across the couch and began draping them over the furniture. I quickly caught on to what she was doing. I got up to help her while our children looked on in amazement. We tucked the blankets in between books on the bookshelves and stuffed them into the corners of the couch. Soon, most of the couch and surrounding area resembled a large, colorful tent. We placed couch cushions and throw pillows around our makeshift fort. It actually looked pretty cozy. Masen and Libby were enthralled with their new plaything, and even Ella was excitedly crawling around.

"You guys need to be careful inside the fort so it doesn't fall down, okay?" Bella said as she admired our handiwork.

"Yes, Mommy. Come play with us!" Masen said, and tugged on her hand. Bella and I knelt down and scooted inside.

"This is so cool, Bella. I never would have thought of doing something like this."

"Thanks. I used to make these little forts all the time when I was little. It was so much fun. I'd spend hours playing and sometimes Renee would let me sleep in them. It must have bugged her to see ratty blankets all over her living room, but she never said anything. In fact, she would help me build my forts and would even play with me in them. She was cool like that."

I smiled at her. My Bella was so amazing.

"Daddy, it's dark in here. Can we get a flashlight?"

"Sure, Masen. There's one on the coffee table." He grabbed it and turned it on. Light flooded the fort, and I was blinded for a second. I saw Libby playing with her Lambie, and Ella was playing with a blanket. I nudged Bella.

"Look." I whispered, pointing to the baby. Ella would take the blanket and put it on top of her head, covering her face and parts of her brown-red hair. Then she would pull it down with the biggest smile on her face. I could see her little cherry lips silently form the word 'boo'.

"She's playing peek-a-boo." Bella cooed softly, not wanting to disrupt the baby and end her game.

Ella did it again, and this time, both Bella and I said, "Peek-a-boo!" Ella looked at us and gurgled happily.

"Boo!" She said, and threw the blanket back over her face.

"Uh oh, where's Ella?" Bella asked teasingly. We heard her giggle before she pulled the blanket down.

"Boo!" I playfully grabbed her and tickled her tummy. I brought her back into my arms and Bella reached over me, giving Ella a kiss.

"What a silly girl you are, Ella Renesmee. Yes, you are…" Bella began talking to our daughter in a baby voice.

"Bella, you're doing it again," I said disapprovingly. She just smirked at me.

"And you don't? I heard you the other night, Cullen. You can't tell other people not to talk to her in that tone of voice if you do it too." I felt myself blush. _She heard me?_ How embarrassing.

"Don't worry; I think it's sweet." She kissed me, hard but discreetly, to prove her point.

"Well, when you put it that way," I said, repeating her words from earlier. She laughed again. We watched our children play for the next few minutes before I got an idea. I wanted to contribute something to our fort, too.

"I think we should make a sign for our fort."

"That's a good idea, Daddy!" Masen said. "I'll go get a piece a paper and some crayons!" He scurried off to grab the art supplies. Not five minutes later, he returned. He dumped the little assortment at my feet and I picked up a red crayon.

"Thanks, Masen. Now, what should our sign say?"

"How 'bout 'The Daddy and Mommy and Masen and Libby and Ella Blanket Fort'?" Masen suggested.

Bella smiled. "It's great, honey, but I think that's a little too long for a name."

"We could shorten it- how about the 'DMMLEBF'?"

"That's a silly name Daddy!"

"Well then, you pick a name," I said, a little peeved at the blow my ego had just received.

"How about 'The Cullen Family Fort'?" Bella said.

"Sure, Mommy! That sounds nice! Here, Daddy," he said, shoving a piece of paper towards me, "Please write that down. The Cullen Family Fort."

I wrote it.

"It seems like it needs something else," I said to Bella.

"Rules!" Masen exclaimed. Bella and I looked at him, incredulous.

"Rules, sweetie?" My wife asked curiously.

"Yeah! Like, Keep Out or…or…" He struggled to find the right words.

"No doggies awwowed!" Libby piped up.

"Yeah, no dogs allowed!"

"We don't have a dog, guys, why would you want that to be on the sign?" I asked, but I was pretty sure I knew the answer already. All of my children were afraid of dogs. That was due to a misfortunate incident involving my wife's friend, Jacob Black, and his huge, half-wolf dog. We had gone to visit Jake last year, and his dog had badly scared my children, simply with his enormous body and very loud, incessant barking. I had never gotten along with Jacob, and having his dog frighten my children to the point of tears had made for a very uncomfortable visit. We never visited his home again. We saw him occasionally of course (Bella saw to that- I could really care less if I never saw the man again), but always without the dog.

"We just don't like them, Daddy. Please write it."

"Masen, not all dogs are like Mr. Jake's dog. Most of them are very friendly and would never hurt you." Bella soothed. I frowned. I didn't like dogs, and I really didn't want my wife to encourage them to like them. But I knew it was wrong to keep them from knowing the truth, so I left it alone. If they ever came to the point of wanting a dog, they could have one- when they had their own homes, of course.

I wrote 'No Dogs Allowed' on the sign and cleared my throat. "Anything else we want to put on the sign?"

"Nope, I think that's it!" Masen said.

"Masen, why don't you and Libby decorate the sign? Maybe draw a picture on it?" Bella suggested.

I watched Masen and Libby scribble various designs on the paper before announcing it finished. I fished the tape out of the pile of supplies Masen had brought and taped the little sign to the outside of the fort. Now our humble abode was complete. Ella began to move restlessly in my arms and I knew she was looking for Bella.

"Feeding time," I said quietly. Bella held out her arms, and I placed Ella gently in them.

"Please hand me that blanket, will you?" she motioned to the fabric that Ella had been playing with before. I draped the cloth over her shoulder and soon the baby was quietly nursing.

"I suppose we should feed ourselves as well; it's past dinnertime." I mused quietly to myself.

"I know we have some soup left, but I'd rather save that for tomorrow. Does another night of PB&J sound okay, Love?" I asked.

"Whatever you make is fine, Honey. Thank you." She turned and gently kissed me. "Thank you for all you do for us, Edward. It means so much."

"You're welcome. I love you."

"I love you too." I would never tire of hearing her say the three little words that made my heart soar. I slipped out of the fort and went into the kitchen. Just like last night, I made four sandwiches and put them on plates. I filled a pitcher with water and grabbed three glasses, as well as a sippy cup for Libby. I put everything on a tray, as well as a few napkins, and made my way back to the fort. Ella was done eating and she was sitting up in Bella's lap, playing with Libby. I placed the tray on the floor and handed everyone their sandwiches. Libby was sitting across from Ella, and after a few minutes had gone by, Ella kept trying to grab Libby's food.

"Mommy, Ewwa have san'wich?" Libby chirped, looking up at Bella.

"Just give her a little piece to chew on, Libby," she said after a moment's hesitation. Libby broke off a little piece of bread and placed it in Ella's hand. Ella instantly brought the bread up to her mouth and ate it.

"Little piggy, you just ate," Bella chided playfully, ruffling Ella's hair.

Bella was talking to Masen, looking at a drawing he had made, and I was finishing my sandwich, when I saw Libby give Ella another piece of her sandwich. Ella grabbed it and began to eat it. Libby was tickling Ella's little foot as she chewed, and what happened next made my heart stop.

Ella began to choke.

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AN: So there ya go!!! It's a mean cliffy, but it's one that is really close to home. It is so scary for me to see little children choke on things. I really hope you guys liked this chapter. I'd love to hear what you guys thought, especially about Masen and Libby's little spat. I had a Lambie when I was little, and thought it would be cute if Libby had one too, especially with the whole lion/lamb thing.

Oh, are there **any parents reading this story**? Am I doing parenthood justice? Tell me!

I don't know if you noticed, but there are a few hints (really, suggestions) as to what will happen in my next story (that will revolve around my PB&J Bella and Edward). So, **Please vote on my poll!**! I really need to know what to have my next story be about!

If any of you feel so inclined, **please put this story on your favorites list so the word gets out**! It would mean so much to me!

I got **18** reviews for the last chapter; does **20** sound good to get the next one? Thank you guys! You are the best!!

~**yourbrowneyedgirl**


	4. This is Not My Idea of Fun

AN: Thank you guys for being the best readers ever! I love reading your reviews and having my inbox flooded with alerts and favorites. You guys rock.

Special thanks to **Leon McFrenchington**, **heatzi **(who gave me the idea for the shopping trip- thank you!), **Felineyx**, **hoobastank22**, & **Edward'sGirlForEternity**, for leaving me great feedback and answering my newbie questions.

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Previously…

_Libby was tickling Ella's little foot as she chewed, and what happened next made my heart stop._

_Ella began to choke._

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-Chapter Four: This is Not My Idea of Fun-

I threw my plate to the floor, and lifted Ella off of Bella's lap. She was struggling to breathe and it took everything I had in me not to panic. I placed one hand on the back of her head, and put two fingers in her mouth. I felt around for the little piece of bread that was causing my baby to choke and swiftly pulled it out. Ella then gasped and coughed, crying. Her hazel eyes were wide with fear and spilling over with tears that stained her flushed little face.

"Edward?! What just happened?!" Bella cried, looking from me to the baby and back again.

"Ella was choking on a piece of sandwich. She's okay, love. I got it out." Ella buried her face in my chest and continued to wail. I felt her little tears dampen my shirt. I rubbed her back and whispered soothing nonsense in her ear. To watch a person choke on something was incredibly frightening, and as a parent, it was even scarier to witness.

"Thank goodness you were paying attention, Edward." Bella shivered, and scooted closer to me. I wrapped one arm around her and pulled her to my side. Bella nestled her head in the crevice of my collarbone, and gently wiped away Ella's tears.

"It's okay, baby. You're fine. Thank goodness Daddy saw you choking, huh?" She kissed Ella's nose, and gave her a pink pacifier. Ella accepted it, and her cries turned to little whimpers that made her hiccup.

"Daddy, Ewwa gonna be okays?" Libby asked looking concerned.

"She's going to be just fine, baby girl. She just got a little scared, that's all." I smiled at Libby encouragingly, and she came over and kissed Ella on the cheek.

"You're okays, Ewwa, no cryin', 'kay?" Libby said softly. Ella just looked at her, still hiccupping. Libby frowned, and put her Lambie in Ella's lap. "Here, you take Wamie. Wamie make it aw' bewwer." Ella tentatively touched the stuffed animal, then a little smile broke out on her face. "See?! I tol' you Wamie make it aw' bewwer!" Libby squealed triumphantly.

"Libby baby, you have jelly all over your face." Bella chuckled. Sure enough, there was purple goo smeared all around Libby's lips and cheeks.

"I'll go get you a washcloth." I moved to get up, but Bella gently pushed me back down.

"I'll get this, honey. Rest for a minute." She slipped out of the little fort. In less than a minute, she was back, a damp washcloth in her hands.

"Come here, my little Libby. Let's get that sticky stuff off your face." She wiped off Libby's face, and then ran the washcloth over Ella's flushed features. She threw the cloth on the tray, and gathered up the plates and glasses, setting them on the tray too. Before I could protest, she took the tray and scooted out, presumably to go wash the dishes. I turned back to my children and contentedly watched them play.

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"Do we _have_ to sleep on the couch again?" Masen asked dejectedly when it was time for bed.

"Yes, buddy, because it's pretty cold and I don't want you to get sick." I said, fluffing up the covers and motioning for him to get in the bed. He slowly crawled in next to Ella and Libby and laid on his back, looking up at me. I brushed the hair out of his eyes and gave him an Eskimo kiss.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Masen?"

"Are we gonna be stuck inside here forever?" He actually looked worried.

"I don't think so, buddy. The storm will stop eventually." I said reassuringly. "Now, please try to sleep. I love you."

"Love you too, Daddy."

I made sure there was no chance of any of my children falling out of the bed before I slipped out of the room. Bella was in our room, folding laundry on the bed. I joined her and picked up a shirt.

"Poor Masen thinks we'll be stuck here forever," I commented. Bella laughed.

"I really hope that isn't the case. How long do you think the storm will last, Edward?"

"I have no idea. I told Masen it would have to stop eventually."

Bella didn't say anything. We finished folding the laundry in silence, and after putting it away, cuddled on the bed once more.

"I love you." I murmured, planting kisses in her hair.

"I love you too," she whispered. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest. I laid my head on hers and knew that I was home. I stayed still, listening to our matching heartbeats. After a while, we were both becoming quite drowsy.

"C'mon, love, let's go to bed." I said, slowly getting up. She groaned, and I pulled her off the bed and into me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and left a small trail of kisses along my jaw line. I turned my head slightly, and my lips met her mouth.

"Bella…come on…it's late…" I said between kisses. She sighed, and put her head back on my chest.

"Alright, Edward. Let's go to bed." She let me lead her out of the bedroom, and we stopped in the doorway of the living room.

"Look at them, Edward. Aren't they precious?" she said, referring to our babies. Masen was clutching the comforter, his face half obscured by the fabric. Libby had her thumb in her mouth, as per usual, and I could see her Lambie was pulled tightly to her chest. Ella lay on her back, sucking steadily on her pacifier. She had one small fist entwined in her blanket. I still had trouble believing Bella and I had created these perfect little creatures.

"Yes, Bella, they are. I couldn't imagine life without them." I kissed the top of her head.

Bella pulled herself out of my embrace, and we shared one more kiss before climbing into bed.

"I love you," she called from the other side of the bed, blowing me a kiss.

I pretended to catch it and put my closed fist to my mouth.

"I love you too."

Drat my insomnia. I was so tired, but my eyes refused to shut so I could sleep. I checked my watch and was dismayed to find that it had been only eight minutes since I had last looked at the time. I tossed and turned, trying to relax so I could get some rest. I resorted to the most mundane tasks, such as reciting the twelve times table backwards and counting sheep.

I had just numbered my seventeenth sheep when I heard Bella mumble in her sleep. My ears perked up at the sound, and I turned to face her. My wife had always been quite the sleep talker, and it was pretty amusing to hear what she had to say while she slept.

"Vampires…" she mumbled. _Vampires?_ Oh, this was going to be good.

"Vampires, dear?" I asked her innocently.

"Mhm…"

"How many vampires, Bella?" I pressed.

"One…he wants to bite my neck, Edward…do you mind?" _What. The. Heck_.

"I mind very much, dear Bella. I like your neck just the way it is. Tell him I said no."

"No…no bite…Riley…" _Riley?_ The bloodsucker had a name?

"Riley is a vampire?"

"Yes…he's cute, too…and strong…he threw a tree…" I could feel my eyebrows shoot up. Even in dreams, someone was trying to steal my Bella away from me. I wasn't having it.

"Tell him you are _very happily_ married, Bella," I ordered.

"I'm…very…augh! Red eyes!" I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the laugh that had erupted from my throat. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough, and the sound woke Bella. She shot up in bed and looked around wildly, her deep brown eyes settling on my countenance. She looked at me confusedly.

"What is so funny, Edward?"

"He wanted to bite your neck, huh?" I could see, even in the darkness, Bella's face turn a bright shade of red.

"I did it again, didn't I?"

I smirked at her. "Yes, you did."

"Augh!" she flipped over and buried her head in a pillow. I sighed. Even after almost six years of marriage, my Bella was still self conscious about little things like her sleep talking. I personally found it endearing, and also amusing. I reached over the sleeping children and gently tugged on her arm.

"Bella, sweetheart, I think it's cute. I like it when you sleep talk. Please don't hide your face from me…" I pleaded, sneakily putting my face in 'dazzle mode'. Once she looked up, all traces of embarrassment vanished.

"You honestly like my rambling on about bloodthirsty vampires?"

"It's right up there with the giant jellybean bunny…"

Apparently that had been the wrong thing to say. After almost _six years of marriage_, you would think that I would have gotten a little smarter about sensitive issues like these.

"If it wasn't so cold, Edward Anthony, you'd be sleeping on the floor! You promised you wouldn't bring that up again!"

"You're right, darling. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was immature of me. Please forgive me?"

She harrumphed an acknowledgement of my apology and settled back to sleep. I wish I could have done the same. Since when did this mattress have so many lumps? I shifted around to face Masen and was awarded with a well placed kick to the thigh from his little foot. Bella was right; he would make an excellent soccer player when he got a little older. I would have to check in the morning for a bruise. Between Bella's sleep talking and Masen's restlessness, I was in for a long night. I finally drifted off to sleep, oblivious to the world around me.

What seemed like only a few minutes later, a warm little hand was placed on my neck and a soft voice cooed, "Say, 'Wake up, Daddy', tell him Ella."

"Dada!"

I sleepily opened my eyes to see Ella's bright hazel ones staring curiously back at me. Her face spread into a smile, and she tapped my neck again. "Dada!"

"Hey baby," I croaked. I wanted nothing more than to turn over and go back to sleep, but that was no longer possible.

"You slept for a long time, Edward. It's after nine." Bella sat down on the bed next to me, with Ella in her lap, and ran her fingers through my hair. I had forgotten how good that felt. I smiled at her, and my eyes were about to flutter closed when she said softly,

"It stopped snowing." I jolted up, startling the baby and Bella.

"It did?" I asked incredulously. I jumped up, and raced to the window, throwing open the drapes. Sure enough, none of the blasted white flakes were fluttering to earth and that meant one thing.

We were no longer trapped inside the house.

I nearly cried with relief and did something akin to a happy dance.

"Why are you jumping around like that, Daddy? Did you step on a tack?" I stopped mid-dance and looked at my son, the ego slayer.

"No, Masen, I did not step on a tack." I reached down and began to tickle his sides, causing him to shriek and tumble to the floor.

"Ss-stop, Dad-daddy! Tha-that tic-tickles!" He gasped between fits of giggling. I let him go, and he laid there on the floor, trying to catch his breath.

"Did you guys already eat?"

"Mhm, Daddy!" Libby chirped. "But we save you an apple an' a poppie!" The term "poppie" was Libby's word for 'pop tart'.

"You did, princess? Thank you!" I bent down and scooped her into my arms and gave her a kiss. She giggled, and twined her little arms around my neck. I made my way into the kitchen, where my breakfast was sitting on the table. I sat down, Libby still on my lap, and began to eat the apple. Bella plopped down into the chair next to me and leaned her arm on the table, her palm pressed into the side of her face.

"I was thinking, Edward, that maybe we could go to the store this morning? I know everyone's going to be out since it stopped snowing, but we really do need to get some food."

I finished chewing and swallowed before answering her.

"I think that would be a good idea. But with so many people, shouldn't just you or I go? I mean, there's going to be a lot of commotion and I don't think that the kids would handle it well."

She considered this. "You're right. Would you mind going? I was hoping to get some things done around the house today."

"I don't mind at all, love. I'll leave right after I get dressed." I didn't care if all I was going to do was go to the supermarket. It was a chance to get out of the house and I gladly took it.

"I come, Daddy?" Libby looked up at me pleadingly. I glanced at Bella, and she simply shrugged, leaving the choice up to me. I could take my two year old into a busy place and run the risk of having a temper tantrum on my hands, but if Libby was just as eager as I was to get out of the house, I didn't think that there was much of a chance of her acting up.

"Sure baby, you can come. But we're just going to the store to get some food. Are you sure you want to come?"

"Mhm, Daddy! I go an' put my shoes on!" She carefully climbed out of my lap and raced off towards her bedroom.

"Walk, Libby!" Bella called, chuckling. She turned to me. "Thank you, Edward, that's one less child I have to deal with while I get things done."

"Not a problem, love. Do you have a list or something so I know what to get?" I tried to speak clearly between chewing the pop tart.

"I started one; I'll give it to you before you go."

I got up, and dusted my hands on my pants. Leaning down, I placed a kiss on Bella's lips.

"Good morning, beautiful." She giggled against me, and returned the kiss. We stayed there for minute, arms around each other, before I reluctantly pulled away.

"The sooner I go, the sooner I'll be back." I kissed her again, not wanting to leave her without a 'proper' goodbye. I threw the remains of my breakfast away, and went to the bedroom to get dressed.

I searched quickly through my dresser drawers, pulling out some dark jeans and a black sweater. I tossed them on the bed, and went into the bathroom. I couldn't take a hot shower with the power being out so Bella and I had resorted to taking 'washcloth baths'. It would have been okay except that the water was so icy cold that I got more chilled than clean. I quickly wet the cloth under the tap, and gave myself a quick-once over, shivering the whole time. Maybe it was unmanly of me to be so uncomfortable, but it was _really_ cold. I hoped that the power company would get that pole fixed soon. I finished my 'bath' and put on extra cologne for good measure. I quickly brushed my teeth and swished around some mouthwash. Stepping out of the bedroom, I grabbed the clothes off the bed and changed out of my pajamas. Pulling on my shoes and a jacket, I deemed myself ready to go. I didn't bother with my hair, because it was a lost cause, and I could only hope that the 'scruffy' style was 'in', since I hadn't shaved in the past few days.

I stuffed my cell phone in my pocket, and walked out of the bedroom. In the living room, Libby was sitting on the floor, trying to buckle her little Mary Jane shoes. I could tell she was frustrated, and there were tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Naughty shoe, Daddy! Is not coo-op-ratin!" She whimpered. I knelt down beside her and took her right foot into my hand. I easily did the buckle, and did the same to her left shoe. I planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Princess, if you need help with your shoes, just ask me. I'd be happy to help you. Pretty soon, you won't need my help. You're a big girl."

"Thank you, Daddy." She smiled up at me, all traces of tears gone.

"Are you ready to go, baby?" She nodded assent, and we both stood up.

"Let's go say goodbye to Mommy, and then we'll leave." We found Bella in the dining room, folding a tablecloth.

"Bye, Mommy! We's goin' out!" Libby said, reaching up for Bella. Bella picked her up and gave her a hug and a kiss.

"Be good for Daddy, sweet pea." She set Libby down and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. She handed it to me, and I placed it in my own pocket without bothering to glance at it.

"That list should have enough food on it, and I also wrote down a few essentials that we need." She said with a coy smile on her face. I was puzzled at her facial expression, but shrugged it off and gave her a kiss.

"We'll be back soon, love."

"I'm looking forward to it."

I realized that even though it had stopped snowing, the snow hadn't started melting, which would mean I would need to shovel out at least part of the driveway to get the car out.

"Stay inside, Libby. We'll leave in a minute." I pulled on my rain boots that were by the door, and walked out of the house, squishing through the deep snow. I was surprised to see that the street had already been cleared of snow. I got out a shovel that I kept next to the garage and got to work. About ten minutes later my car was freed and I had an aching back. After putting the shovel away, I went inside the house and changed my shoes. Libby was waiting patiently for me in the foyer. I grabbed my keys out of the bowl on the table, and took Libby's hand, making sure her plaid coat was securely fastened. We walked out of the house, minding the broken step, and quickly climbed into the Volvo. I always kept a car seat in the back in case I ever needed to use it. I reached around in the driver's seat and helped Libby buckle in. After I was sure she was strapped in properly, I started the car and backed out of the driveway.

It seemed like the whole city of Seattle was out on the road. The supermarket was only fifteen minutes away, but the entire drive took over half an hour with all the traffic.

"Daddy? We there yet?" Libby asked, squirming impatiently in her seat.

"Couple more minutes, sweetheart."

I finally made it to the supermarket and pulled in the parking lot. After fighting a vicious soccer mom and a spiteful trucker for a parking spot, I secured a space and took a moment to breathe before shutting off the car. After a minute, I turned off the car and got out. I opened Libby's door and quickly unstrapped her. I didn't want her to get lost in the sea of people and cars, so I carried her into the store. I found a cart and set her in it, then pulled out the grocery list Bella had given me. The first item on the list was milk. I wasn't surprised- all of us drank enough of the stuff to make me consider buying a cow. Libby and I traversed through the store, placing the items we needed in the cart. I was in the cookie and cracker isle, trying to decide between Triscuits or Wheat Thins, when I heard a nasally voice call my name. I groaned internally when I realized who the voice belonged to. Lauren Mallory. She was like a bad penny- possibly good for something, but always showing up when you least needed or expected it.

"Oh my gosh! Edward Cullen!" she trilled loudly. I turned around to face her. She looked exactly the same as when I had first met her- same showy clothes and a little too much makeup for my liking. Her bleached platinum hair hung down to her shoulders, and I couldn't tell if it was just the lighting, but her skin seemed to have an orange tinge to it. Another self- tanning attempt gone wrong, I guessed. She had always been trying to flirt with me and get my attention, even when Bella and I married. It was like she didn't even see my wedding ring, which made me mad. I had never even given her a second glance, but none the less she continued to bother me _and_ Bella. I really could care less about what she tried to do to me, but when it came to Bella, I was not about to let someone like Lauren hurt her feelings. I knew that Lauren made my wife feel insignificant, and it angered me to no end. So the fact that Lauren was standing right in front of me really did not make me happy.

"Hello," I said stiffly, looking back at the boxes in my hands. She may be annoying, but I had to be polite.

"Hi, Edward! Wow, it's been a long time! Is this your niece or something?" She said, gesturing to Libby.

_Ha, you wish. _"No, she's my daughter." I stated proudly, and a little smile crept onto Libby's face. Lauren looked shocked for a minute, but quickly recovered and continued.

"Well, thank god she got your genes. She's _absolutely gorgeous_," Her voice was like poisoned honey, and as she was speaking, she pinched Libby's cheek. Libby looked at me in horror, and pushed Lauren's hand away.

"You's hurtin' me!" she said, glaring at Lauren. I stifled a laugh.

"Actually, she's all Bella. The only thing she gets from me is the bronze hair." Lauren frowned at me, but quickly wiped the grimace off her face and gave me a sickly smile.

"So, why are you here in a _supermarket_? Did Bella give up the mothering act and dump the kid with you? I always knew-" I cut her off rudely. Who did she think she was, insulting my wife and child like that? So infuriating.

"No, Lauren. Bella and I are very happily married and we plan on staying that way. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to do." I dropped my crackers into the cart and pushed past her out of the aisle. I was fuming over what had just occurred with Lauren.

"Daddy? You okays?" Libby asked concernedly, reaching up with one of her little white hands, trying to smooth out the frown line that was currently dominating my face. I instantly relaxed, and pushed a smile on my face.

"Yes, baby. I was just a little upset."

"I don't wike that wady, Daddy. She's owange." I bit back a laugh. So it wasn't the store lighting playing tricks on me.

"Even though you don't like her, Libby, you shouldn't make fun of her. It's not nice." Libby looked perturbed, but nodded cheerfully.

I glanced down at the list in my hand again.

_Milk_

_Grapes_

_Strawberries_

_Bananas_

_Cheerios_

_Cereal_

_Bread_

_Bagels_

_Cheddar cheese_

_Crackers_

_Chicken and Rice soup_

_Juice_

_Hot cocoa_

_Coffee_

_Chicken breasts_

_Hamburger meat_

_Salmon fillet_

_Spaghetti_

_Mustard_

_Yogurt_

_Lettuce_

_Basil leaves_

_Tomatoes_

_Red onion_

_Diapers _

_Baby shampoo_

_Laundry detergent_

_Maxi pads_

I read that last item again. Bella wanted me to get _what_? Oh, no. This had to be payback for last night. How could she do this to me? She knew how embarrassed I felt when I had to get those things for her. Ugh. It was a good thing I was deeply and irrevocably in love with her, otherwise…

I half heartedly picked up the rest of the items on my list and slowly made my way towards the personal care aisle, like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I cautiously peeked into it, and was relieved when I saw that no one else was there. I darted in, and quickly scanned the items on the shelf. I was instantly confused- there were so many different brands and types, I didn't know which one to pick. If I chose the wrong option, I ran the risk of having to come back and buy more. I gingerly picked up two different packages that looked promising, guaranteeing all sorts of things I was better off not knowing, and held them up in front of me, as if they were bombs and might explode at any minute. _Why was this such a difficult task?_

"Can't decide?" A distinct male voice said from behind me. I jumped about two feet in the air and dropped the items I was holding as if they were on fire. I slowly turned around and found myself face to face with Jacob Black. _You have got to be kidding me._ Why the heck was he not in La Push?! I found my voice, and cleared my throat, endeavoring to appear cool and collected.

"Jacob, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was visiting some friends up here when we all got snowed in. I'm here to get a few things." He said nonchalantly, but with the biggest smirk on his face.

"That's nice…I was getting a few things too."

The smirk grew. "I can see that. Man, Bella has got you whipped." He made a little noise and gestured with his hand, like he was cracking a whip.

"I'm not whipped, Jacob."

"_Sure_ you're not. Dude, even I would not do what you're doing for Bella. You. Are. Whipped." I was getting a little frustrated. First Lauren, now him.

"Have you ever considered, Jacob, that I'm doing the things I do, which include buying…feminine products…because I love her? It's not servitude for me, its love." He looked taken aback, and I was a little shocked myself at the little speech I had just given.

"Sorry, man, I didn't mean it like that. I was just playin'." He looked truly sorry, and I felt bad for preaching at him.

"It's alright. I didn't mean to preach. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay. Leah and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I think I might pop the question over Christmas."

"That's great, Jacob." I was happy for him, he needed someone like his girlfriend Leah to keep him grounded.

"Yeah, I'm excited. Well, I gotta go. Tell Bells I said hi." He reached down and patted Libby on the head. "See ya, kid." He said and extended his right hand to me. I shook it, not surprised by his firm grip. Jake was about six foot seven and as strong as a bear. He was kind of a human version of his dog, come to think of it.

"Bye, Jacob." He nodded, then walked out of the aisle.

I picked up the items that I had dropped and placed them back on the shelf. I randomly selected one, praying that it was the correct type, before scurrying out of the aisle. I had endured enough humiliation for the day and was ready to head home.

"Daddy? I walk?" Libby asked, reaching for me. She was getting antsy stuck in the cart.

"Sure, princess. Just stay close to me." I lifted her out and set her on the ground. She instantly grabbed onto my pant leg. I was making my way to the front of the store when a display caught my eye. The store was apparently having a sale on various wines and champagnes. I didn't drink much, but when I did, I liked to have good quality stuff. I picked up random bottles and inspected them, noting their unique qualities and prices. I picked up a bottle of cabernet and placed it in the cart.

"Alright, Libby. Are you ready to head home?" I looked down, expecting to see my daughter by my side. But such was not the case.

Libby was gone.

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AN: Poor Edward just can't catch a break! Tell me what you liked in this chapter!

In case you didn't read last week's AN, I closed the poll and put up a new one (just for fun- go vote and make me smile!). I've decided to do this story from when Edward and Bella are first married. It's is easier for me and I am really excited about it. I'm sorry if I made you guys upset by doing this, but it just works out better this way. I'll be taking a few weeks to write the first couple of chapters and then I'll post it. I have a plan in mind for this story and I think you guys will really enjoy it. The story will revolve around their married/family life, but I will also put in some flashbacks so you guys will know how they meet and all that.

If you want a hint as to where I will go with this story, look up Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Yes, that is from the Bible. Each "time" that is mentioned will be a chapter title- which gives you some huge clues and some very subtle clues. I'm so excited!!

If you want a firefighter Edward and Bella story from the very beginning, go read **Bronzehairedgirl620's 'Stop, Drop and Roll'**. It's one of my favorite stories :)

Reviews would totally make up for my bad week :)

**yourbrowneyedgirl**


	5. So Much More

AN: Sorry for the wait- it's hard to write happy stuff when you're upset. Hopefully there is enough fluff in here to tide you over until the next chapter. Thank you to all of you who reviewed and have been reviewing. I treasure your kind comments and it keeps me wanting to write. You guys are the best!

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Previously…

_I looked down, expecting to see my daughter by my side. But such was not the case._

_Libby was gone._

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-Chapter Five: So Much More-

I could not believe this. First Lauren, then Jacob, and now my two year old has run off to who knows where. I scanned the store around me frantically, trying to spot the small mass of bronze curls I loved so much. _Where could she have gone in such a short space of time?_ I abandoned my cart in front of the display, not caring if someone bothered it. I had to find my baby. I walked back the way I had come, peeking in every aisle. I was growing more and more frantic by the minute. I often prided myself on being a watchful and attentive father, and now my little Libby had disappeared from me right under my nose. I ran my hands through my hair, thoroughly frustrated with myself for not keeping a better eye on her. I rounded a corner, and there in front of me, by a display of flowers, was a little girl, sitting on the dirty linoleum floor, hugging her knees and crying into her chest. Her small frame shook with sobs. She was wearing an ivory dress and little brown Mary Jane shoes, her bronze curls in a glorious disarray. _Libby_. I breathed a sigh of relief, my hands stilling their assault on my hair. I walked up to my daughter, knelt, and placed one hand on her knees. She looked up at my touch, and her face broke into a radiant smile. She scrambled into my arms and hugged my neck tightly.

"Daddy! Oh, Daddy!" She sobbed, more tears making their appearance. I slowly stood up, and rubbed soothing circles on her back. I ran my fingers through her hair, and could feel her small ones lightly entwine into my own bronze tendrils. She couldn't hold me tight enough and I could feel her little heart hammering against her breast. My poor baby, trembling with fear. I couldn't find it in my heart to scold her, because this lesson was apparently learned. Even if she didn't realize how badly she had scared me, she had certainly frightened herself into not wandering away from me again. All I needed to do know was comfort her and then get _out_ of this store.

"Shh, Libby. It's alright. Were you afraid, baby girl? You scared Daddy quite a bit. I didn't know where you went, honey, and I couldn't find you."

"S-scary, Daddy…"

"I know, Libby, that's why you need to stay close to me, honey. I'm glad you're alright, though. I love you, my Libby, and I don't know what I would have done if I didn't find you back there." I began to walk back to where I had abandoned the shopping cart, praying it was still there. Libby continued to sniffle and I kept massaging her back and whispering soothing words into her ear. The death grip she had on my neck was probably going to leave red marks. I didn't mind though. I took pride in knowing that I was the one Libby turned to when she was afraid or hurt. Not Bella, her mother, _me_, her _father_. It was an inexplicable feeling, being needed. Knowing that part of you exists solely for the comfort of another. I had so many self doubts and fears, but whenever things like this happened, I was reassured in myself. My heart swelled and my chest slightly puffed out in pride, feeling my little girl's heart beat against mine, feeling her hands twine around me, feeling the soft stain of her tears on my shirt. It wasn't like I was someone who needed proof of another's love or adoration, but the reassurance of a touch, the grace of a smile, the caress of a kiss, all told me that I, Edward Cullen, was _someone_. It was a nice feeling, I had to admit.

I found my things undisturbed, and tried to set Libby back into the cart. She whimpered, and her small hands clutched the back of my shirt.

"No let go, Daddy," she whispered, "No let go."

That was something I could promise her for the rest of eternity. I gently lifted her chin up with my left hand and looked into the brown eyes that would never cease to captivate me.

"I promise you, Libby, I'll never let you go."

I could have sworn that even she knew that I wasn't just talking about this particular incident. I walked to the front of the store, cradling Libby to my left side, intent on purchasing the…various items I had gathered. Studiously ignoring the flirtatious looks sent my way from half the female population of Seattle (_really, did they not see the wedding band?_), I patiently waited my turn in the checkout line. I lifted my things onto the conveyor belt, cringing internally when…Bella's purchase… rolled past me. The cashier rang up the items and told me in a monotone voice just how much I would have to pay him in order to leave with my groceries. I winced, and pulled out an appropriate amount of cash to give him. Libby had been watching the cashier ring up our things, her thumb in her mouth. She still looked a little sad, but she was no longer crying. I decided to bring back the smile I loved, and said, "Look at all this food, Libby! Maybe we should get a farm instead, and grow our own food,"

Libby loved animals (excepting, of course, 'doggies'- which was fine by me).

"Wif duckies and chickies, Daddy?" She asked, eyes alight with excitement.

"Maybe," I answered wryly. I didn't want her to think I was actually considering the idea, fun as it might have sounded. Our home was pretty much a farm already- instead of animals, we had children.

Libby continued to prattle on about baby animals as we made our way out of the store and to the car. I noticed the sun was beginning to peek out of the gray clouds that dotted the horizon. I smiled. The storm was officially over. I unlocked the Volvo, and put Libby in her car seat, securely fastening her in. I loaded the groceries into the trunk then hopped in the driver's seat.

"You ready to go home now, baby?" I asked as I started the car.

"Yep, Daddy!" she said, her little feet kicking the air.

I drove home, taking in the various scenes of destruction around me. Apparently I was not the only one who lost power. The poles and tree branches that were scattered everywhere would take awhile to clear out. About ten minutes from home, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out, not bothering to check the ID.

"Edward Cullen."

"Hey Cullen, it's Chief Brewer." Giles Brewer was the chief of the fire station I worked at.

"Hello, sir. What's up?"

"I assume you were hit by the big storm?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you able to leave your home yet? We could really use some help down at the station. There's a lot of mess that needs to get cleaned up in this town."

"Yes, sir, I am. What time should I be there?"

"In about two hours. Thanks, Cullen."

"You're welcome, sir." I clicked the phone off with a sigh and threw it on the passenger seat. It seemed like I had just gotten back from work, and now I had two hours to get myself ready for a twenty-four hour shift. Bella was going to be disappointed. I was a little sad myself. I had counted on having more time with my kids and my wife before I had to go back to work.

"Who's that, Daddy?" Libby asked curiously, peering at me in the rearview mirror.

"It was Daddy's boss, honey."

"Oh," she said sadly, "You goin' to wok?"

"Yes, baby."

"When?"

"In couple of hours, but I'll be back tomorrow."

"Don't want you to go, Daddy." A little frown had made its way onto her face.

"I'll be back before you know it, baby," I said softly, and left it at that. I pulled the car into the driveway and turned it off.

"We's home!" Libby sang as I lifted her out of her seat. She stood by me as I got the bags out of the trunk, and I handed her my keys so she could unlock the door. We stepped inside, and Libby dutifully put the keys in the bowl on the table before sitting down and taking off her little shoes.

"Bella?" I called, walking into the kitchen. No answer. I quickly put the groceries away, and also the non-food items that were sitting on the table. I went into the study, and found Masen scribbling in a coloring book with Libby at his side.

"Hey Daddy!" he said, getting up to greet me.

"Hey, buddy. Do you know where Mommy is?" I asked.

"She's takin' a nap." I smiled. Finally, Bella was getting some rest. I tousled his hair. "Thanks, little man." I left my children in the study, and slowly pushed open my bedroom door. Bella was sprawled out underneath the covers, on her stomach, with one hand curled protectively around Ella, who was lying on her back next to her. I chuckled softly to myself, and shut the door.

"Libby? Masen? Are you hungry?" I called softly, not wanting to wake Bella and the baby. They both came running into the kitchen.

"Lunch, Daddy?" Libby asked hopefully.

"I was thinking we could have soup. Does that sound good?" They both nodded their heads. I got one of the cans of soup I had bought and dumped the contents into a pot. I put the awful pink apron on and carried the pot of soup into the living room. Repeating the process from yesterday, I lit a fire and promptly stuck the pot over the open flames, taking care not to singe myself. Libby brought me a spoon and I stirred the soup so it wouldn't burn. Masen and Libby sat of either side of me as I willed the soup to quickly heat up. I was stirring the liquid yet again when the doorbell rang. _Oh come on. Who could that be? _I hurriedly lifted the soup off of the fire and ran into the kitchen. I set the pot on the stove and nearly tore Bella's apron in two trying to get it off. _Stay here,_ I mouthed to Masen and Libby. I walked over to the front door and yanked it open, running a hand through my unruly hair. There in front of me, was a portly, red faced man, dressed in a navy blue uniform with a name tag that read_ Joel_.

"Uh, does a Mister Edward Cullen live here?"

"Yes, that's me." _Please don't let him be a door to door salesman, please don't let him be a…_

"I'm here to fix your electricity."

"Oh…thank you."

"Uh huh, sir. You only lost power 'cause the pole went out, right?"

"That is correct."

"Well, okay then. As soon as we get this ol' hunk of wood up and running, we'll have the power back on. That shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Lucky thing you live in a busy part of town, some folks in the rural areas won't get their power for a few more days. Jus' wanted to let you know, Mister Cullen. Bye now."

And with that, he ambled down my front porch, agilely dodging the broken step (to my astonishment), and walked away. I stared after him, then quickly shut the door, seeing as I was letting in a draft.

"Who was that, Daddy?" Masen asked as I came back into the kitchen.

"That was the man from the power company. He's going to fix that big pole that fell down so we can have electricity again."

"So I can sleep in my bed tonight?" I nodded, getting out some bowls for the soup.

"That's good, Daddy, cause even though I love you, you snore. Really loud."

I chewed on my bottom lip in slight frustration.

"Thank you for your honesty, Masen," I finally ground out, and set the bowls of soup on the table. We ate our lunch in companionable silence and I decided to let Bella sleep; she could get her lunch whenever she woke up. Masen helped me wash the dishes when we finished, and I told him and Libby to go play quietly. Glancing at the clock, I saw I had about an hour before I had to leave for work. I quietly slipped into my bedroom. Bella was still passed out on the bed, but Ella's eyes were open and she had begun to stir, wiggling to get free of Bella's arm that was draped over her little tummy. I walked over to the bed, and gently lifted the baby out of Bella's embrace. Ella laid her head on my shoulder, pacifier securely in place. She was sucking kind of hard on it, and I realized that she must have been hungry, since it was well past her lunch time. I really didn't want to wake Bella up, but I knew that there weren't any bottles made up in the refrigerator. I had bought milk at the store, however, Ella was lactose intolerant, so when she drank cow's milk, it tended to come right back up. I did not want that to happen. Bella would have to wake up within the hour since I was leaving, and Ella must not have been too hungry, since she hadn't started crying. I was okay for now. I set Ella on the floor to crawl around, then went and pulled my duffel bag out of the closet. T-shirts, pants, uniform, socks…lots of socks, and underclothes, all were thrown haphazardly into the bag.

"What are you doing?" I heard a sleepy voice question from behind me. Bella was sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes, her gorgeous mahogany hair looking like a haystack. _Just give me a few more minutes of happiness, please…_

I scooped the baby off the floor and laid her on the bed next to Bella. I then sat on the bed and began to crawl towards Bella with a wicked gleam in my eyes. She scooted away from me until she was backed up against the headboard. I could see a mix of fear and excitement in her eyes.

"Bella…" I said seductively. "That grocery list…" I placed both of my hands on either side of her body, effectively trapping her in my arms. She gulped and glanced towards the baby.

"D-Did you g-get everything on th-the list?" She stammered.

"Oh yes, Bella, I got everything on the list. You know what else I got?"

"Wh-what?"

I let my voice take on a sour note. "I got absolute _hell_ from Jacob Black about it. And _that_, Bella, is _your_ fault. You are going to be the death of me, Isabella."

She had let out a giggle when I told her about Jacob, but at the mention of her full name, she grew still. I smirked inwardly. I had my Bella right where I wanted her.

"What am I going to do with you, Bella? Do I mean so little to you that you enjoy having me complete embarrassing tasks? Hmm, my Bella?"

"N-no, Edward."

"Well then, let me remind you of my full potential…" I placed my hands over her wrists and kissed her hard. I could feel her lips curve into a smile against mine, and she fisted her hands into the sides of my shirt, bringing me closer to her. I planted kisses on her mouth, and my hands wandered to twist themselves into her strawberry scented hair. Bella giggled, feeling my rough stubble brush against her soft cheek. Ella however, wasn't having it. She crawled over and smacked her little palm against Bella's cheek.

"Ouch, baby," Bella laughed as she pulled away from me. I lifted Ella onto my wife's lap, and then rested my back against the headboard. Bella got her settled, and we could hear Ella's occasional baby grunts of satisfaction as she fed. Bella's gaze wandered over to my packed duffel, and her face slipped into a frown.

"You have to leave?"

"Yeah…they need me to help clear some debris."

She pouted. "They always need you. When do you have to leave?"

"In an hour."

"So soon?"

"Sadly, yes." My goodness, we were pathetic. We sat on the bed in dejected silence, hands entwined. Ella soon finished, and Bella held her out to me.

"Edward, can you burp her? I really have to blow my nose." I noticed for the first time the faint pink rings around her eyes, and the fact that she sounded a little stuffed up.

"You're not getting sick, are you, love?" I asked, as I patted Ella on her back.

"I don't know," she called from the bathroom, "I started coughing a little and my nose is kind of icky, but that could just be from all the dust I came in contact with today. There was so much dust on those bookshelves in the study, Edward. We really have to clean in there more often."

I continued patting Ella, then pulled her away from my chest so I could look into her eyes.

"C'mon, baby, just one little burp." I pleaded.

She gave me a sweet smile, and then she made the most awful sound in the back of her throat. She burped, alright, and along with that came about what must have been half of her dinner. I watched in horror as she spit up all over my chest, the ghastly smelling white stuff spilling all over her little outfit, down my shirt and onto the comforter. I had had my fair share of baby vomit, but this incident was particularly bad.

"Augh! Oh my gosh! Bella!" I yelled, not daring to move and get more of Ella's 'gift' on the bed sheets. Ella began to wail at high volume. I had obviously frightened her with my loud voice.

"What, Edward? What is…_oh_." Bella came running back into the room, but stopped short when she saw what had happened. She gingerly lifted Ella out of my arms, and turned to me. "Just take the sheets off the bed, and throw them in the laundry room." With that, she walked back into the bathroom and I could hear the shower turn on. I sighed, and began to strip the bed. The smell made me want to throw up. I couldn't believe Ella had spit up this much. It was _everywhere_. I threw the sheets, my soaked shirt, and pants in the laundry room, then walked back to my bedroom, clad only in my underwear. I passed the study on my way, and both Libby and Masen were asleep on the floor, surrounded by throw pillows and blankets. They would be out for at least two more hours. I went into my bathroom, and Bella had taken off Ella's smelly clothing and was testing the water in the shower on her hand. Wait a minute. There was hot water coming out of the showerhead. The pole and wires must have been put back together. I silently praised the power company for their quick work. I wouldn't have to go to the station smelling like baby spit up. I was about to shed the rest of my clothing and step in the shower, but Bella stopped me.

"Keep your boxers on, Cullen. Ella's going to take a shower too." She held the now happy baby out to me, and I took her, then stepped in the steaming shower. I hadn't had a hot shower in two days and the warm water washing over me felt good. I made sure the water wasn't too warm before I cupped a hand under the spray. I poured the little pool of water that had collected in my palm over Ella's head. She gurgled happily, smiling up at me. Ella was quite the water baby. I grabbed some of baby shampoo we kept in the shower for just such an occasion as this and squirted a dime sized amount onto her hair. I worked it into lather, wondering how on earth she had gotten spit up in her hair. I then found some of Bella's shower gel and poured some into the palm of my hand. I rubbed the sweet-smelling gel all over Ella's little body, which effectively eliminated the disgusting odor that she had created. Ella watched the whole process with her fist in her mouth, little feet kicking wildly. I rinsed her off, taking care not to get soap in her eyes.

"Bella?" I called, hoping she would hear me.

"Yeah?" she peeked around the shower curtain, a towel draped over her arm.

I held the cooing baby out to her, "She's done."

"Thank you, Edward," she said, taking the baby from me and wrapping her in a towel. She closed the shower curtain, and I was able to get myself cleaned up without incident. I reluctantly turned off the shower when I was done. The hot water had done wonders for my aching back and I was reveling in how good I felt. The happy feeling instantly dissipated when I realized that I would have to go very soon. I stepped out into the steamy bathroom, throwing the boxers I had showered in on the floor of the shower, and dried off, wrapping the towel around my waist. I smirked at my hazy reflection in the mirror. _Caveman, be gone._ I was finally going to get to get rid of this three day 'beard' that I was sporting. Bella would never admit to it, but I was inclined to think she might have had a keen fascination with watching me shave. She came back into the bathroom with Ella dressed in a new white sleeper. Sitting on the closed toilet lid, she watched me while I filled up the sink with hot water. My wife had a pensive look on her face, and was chewing on her bottom lip. I idly wondered what was on her mind this time. I lathered my face with shaving cream, and got my razor out.

"What's on your mind, love?" I asked as I started on the right side of my face. She blushed, and looked away.

"Bella?" She began to play with Ella's hair, and timidly looked up at my reflection in the mirror.

"Did you really mean it…when you said you'd have your parents take the kids for us and we'd…?" she trailed off.

I looked at her in surprise.

"Of course I did. I don't think I could take a whole week off work, but maybe a day or two, sure."

"Well, I was thinking…if your parents are okay with it, that when we go to visit them for Thanksgiving this week, we could leave the kids with them for the night?" She was never good at telling me what she truly wanted, but I could detect the hopefulness in her voice. She was asking me for something I would be more than happy to give her. I could give her a night free from responsibility. It wouldn't be fancy or extravagant, and we would probably just spend it here at the house, but it would just be the two of us. Alone. Together. However you wanted to say it. It made me practically giddy just thinking about it, and I had to hold my razor with extra care to make sure I didn't nick myself. I couldn't even remember the last time Bella and I had spent some quality time together. I normally disliked the holidays because of all the added stress, but now Thanksgiving could not come soon enough. How far away was it? Five days?

"I think that's a wonderful idea, love. I'll call my parents and ask them. I know Esme really wants to have them come and stay. But what about Black Friday? You'll miss all the sales." I teased, knowing she hated shopping. My wife let out a rather unladylike snort, and the baby in her lap jumped in surprise at the noise.

"I _detest_ Black Friday, Edward." She said _Black Friday_ like it was a curse word, and I half expected her to cover Ella's ears when she said it.

"I've only gone before because Alice dragged me along. But since I'll be with you, there's no chance of that happening. It's perfect." She said happily.

I finished shaving and rinsed off my face, drying it on a towel Bella handed me. I quickly applied aftershave, and turned to walk out of the bathroom. A warm hand caught my arm.

"Wait, Edward." Bella stood up, and walked over to me. She shifted the baby to her hip, and ran her hand over my now smooth jaw, smiling at the new softness she felt. She then placed a tender kiss on my lips, and I eagerly intensified it, mentally apologizing to poor little Ella, who was well on her way to becoming our main PDA spectator. Hopefully she wouldn't remember anything, since she looked to be about half asleep on my wife's shoulder. I wound my free arm around Bella's waist, pulling two of my favorite people closer to me.

"I…love…you…" I breathed out between kisses. She smiled and murmured the words back to me. She rested her head on my chest, and I leisurely ran my fingers through her soft hair, still keeping a firm grip on the towel around me.

"I'll miss you…" she whispered, tracing circles on my neck with her free hand. I chuckled softly, and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll miss you too, love. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon." We stayed there for a minute, before the sweet silence was broken by Bella's rumbling stomach.

"Go eat, Mommy," I laughed, lightly pushing her and the baby towards the door, "There's some soup on the stove and Masen and Libby are taking a nap in the study. Ella looks like she could use a rest too."

She reached up on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss on the cheek, then scooted out the door, shutting it behind her. I pulled on a fresh set of clothes, and ran my towel through my hair, trying to dry it. I hated when it was all wet and stuck to my forehead. I looked like a half- drowned rat when that happened. I finished packing my things, and made sure to have my wallet, cell phone, and keys in my pockets. I wrote a quick note to Bella, which I would leave on her pillow, so she would be sure to see it before she went to bed. Since I couldn't always say goodnight to her, and because I wasn't allowed to use my cell phone when on duty, I would leave her a note that said what I would say before bed if I was with her. She loved it, and saved every one. There must have been a couple hundred of them by now. She didn't think I knew she saved them, but one time I had been looking under the bed and found a whole shoebox of them tucked safely there. Some of them had tear stains on them, and others had little smudges of Chap Stick, silent witnesses that she had kissed my notes before putting them in the box. I folded up the note, addressed it to _Mrs. Cullen_, and left it on her pillow. I them gathered my coat and my bag, and walked out of the bedroom. I carried my things out to my Volvo, and went back inside the house, blowing on my hands. Even though it had stopped snowing, it was still frigid outside. Since our hot water was back on, I hoped that meant our heater would be up and running too. I checked my watch- I had to leave in five minutes.

I quietly slipped inside the study; both Masen and Libby were still deeply asleep. I kissed them both on the forehead, and whispered that I loved them. I made sure they were both covered by blankets before I left. In their bedroom, Ella was also sleeping soundly on her back, her little breast rising and falling as she breathed. I leaned over the worn crib railings, and placed a kiss on her temple, whispering the same words of love I had bestowed upon her sister and brother. She stirred a little at my touch, and her face relaxed into a dreamy smile. I brought her quilt up to her chest; she must have kicked it off in her sleep. I quietly exited the room and made my way to the kitchen to say my hardest goodbye. Bella was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping her soup and poring over one of her battered novels. She looked up when she heard my footfalls approach, and even though her small smile stood firmly fixed in place, I could see sparkling in her eyes. I leaned over her, resting one hand on the table, and kissed her softly.

"Tomorrow, love," I promised, breathing in the scent of her hair one last time.

"Be safe," she whispered, giving me one last kiss.

"I will be."

And with that promise echoing loudly in my ears, I gently left her warm embrace, and walked out into the cold unknown.

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AN: No cliffy! Sorry if I got carried away with the fluff! This **was **going to be the last chapter for a while, but since my prequel story isn't ready yet, you guys will get a few more chapters out of this. Let me know if I've become boring or if there's something you'd like to see! Anyways, I hope to get the next chapter to you soon, but since a very special DVD is being released on Saturday, it may be a little longer than usual. Reviews would make me so happy- I received some upsetting news today and I am really depressed.


	6. Thankful For

**AN**: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favorites! Sorry for the wait. I was sick and school comes before fanfiction. Important **AN** at the bottom. Longest chapter so far! :)

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-Chapter Six: Thankful For-

"Edward? Do you have Ella's blanket?"

"Yes, love, I do."

It was Thanksgiving morning. I was standing by the front door, in my dress clothes, holding Ella in her car seat carrier, with Masen and Libby fidgeting next to me. We all stood stiffly in the entryway, feeling uncomfortable in our freshly starched clothing. Masen and I were matching in dark navy blue dress shirts and gold ties, and Bella had dressed the girls in navy frocks with little bows in their hair. The love of my life was currently running around the house in a knee length gold dress, trying to ensure that we had packed everything for our children. I had called Esme a few days ago, to ask her if she and my dad would be willing to watch the kids for us Thanksgiving night. She had enthusiastically agreed, ecstatic over the prospect of seeing her grandchildren. Because my parents lived in Forks, which was about four hours away, Bella and I had rented a hotel room nearby between Forks and Port Angeles, where we would spend the night, before heading home in the morning.

"Bella, honey, we've got everything. We need to leave now, or else we'll be late for dinner."  
She scanned the living room one last time, before sighing.

"You're right; let's go." I set Ella's carrier down, and helped my wife into her coat. Bella picked up the diaper bag and took Masen's hand. We walked outside, and I locked the front door behind us. I had already gotten Bella's car out of the garage and turned on the heater. I remembered that Bella had had a small car in college, but it had died the beginning of her senior year. I'll never forget the day she called me on her cell phone, sobbing, telling me that her car had died- for good. We had gone down to a car dealership the next day, and a small cream colored SUV had caught her eye. We bought it the same day- both of us were certain it was the car for us, but mainly it was for Bella and whatever children that would come along. My Volvo was still enough for me. For being almost five years old now, the car was still in great shape and looked to be still in style, which was lucky for us- after last year; we would not be able to afford a new vehicle for a little while longer.

Bella and I quickly got inside the car, fastening car seat buckles and making sure our children would be comfortable for the long drive ahead of us. Bella was biting her lip in earnest, and I could tell she regretted dressing our little ones in their best clothing, seeing as it would be all wrinkled when we finally arrived at my parents' house. I made a mental note to not move around too much and wrinkle my own shirt and pants. I started the car, and pulled out of the driveway, praying for little traffic.

The first two hours of our drive were uneventful. Libby and Ella quickly fell asleep twenty minutes into the car ride, and Masen followed soon after. I encouraged my tired Bella to sleep too, waving off her protests that the drive would be tedious for me without someone to talk to. I fiddled with the radio, changing the stations at my leisure. I didn't mind that all of my passengers were asleep; the silence gave me some quiet time to think. There was some traffic as we headed out of Seattle, but as we got closer and closer to Forks, fewer cars were on the road.

"Daddy, I have to go potty," I heard Masen say sleepily from the backseat, as he woke up. I looked at the dashboard clock- we still had an hour and a half until we got to my parents' house. There was no way my four year old would be able to 'hold it' for that long.

"Alright, buddy, just give me a few minutes, okay?" I said resignedly, as I looked for signs for either the next exit or a rest stop.

"Daddy, I have to go _now_." He said, fidgeting in his seat. I sighed, and got off on the next exit. I pulled in the parking lot of the nearest restaurant, and Bella woke up when she felt the car come to a stop.

"What's going, on, Edward?" she asked, yawning.

"Masen has to go to the bathroom," I muttered, turning off the car.

"Oh good, I have to go too," she said, unbuckling her seat belt. "I'll take him, Edward; the women's bathroom is probably cleaner." I laughed at her logic and unlocked the car. Masen scrambled out and Bella stepped out, shutting the car door securely behind her, before taking his hand and walking inside the restaurant. I leaned my head against the headrest, and scrubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. I heard stirring in the backseat, and turned around to see which one of my girls was awake. It was Libby.

"We there, Daddy?" she asked hopefully, as she craned her neck, trying to get a good look outside.

"Not yet, Libby baby." I said, also taking in the scenery around me.

"Where Masen go?"

"He went with Mommy, they'll be right back."

"Oh," was all she said.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before I saw Masen and Bella exit the restaurant and walk over to the car. They quickly got in, shivering from the cold outside.

"Thank you, Edward, I feel so much better now," Bella giggled as she got settled. "Do you want me to drive? I'm wide awake now; I can do it if you want to catch a nap,"

"That's okay love, I'm fine," I said, restarting the car. I hastily drove out of the parking lot, and got back onto the road. Almost two hours later, I was pulling into my parents' driveway.

"We's here!" Libby sang, as I unbuckled her. She quickly jumped out of the car, and I had to make sure that she didn't slip on the smooth driveway. Libby was half Bella, after all. The five of us went up to the house, and I pushed open the front door. We were promptly assaulted by Alice and Esme.

"Oh, good, you're here! Mom told us all about you're being snowed in! That must have been interesting! I'm so glad you guys were able to come down! It feels like I haven't seen you guys in forever! My goodness, my nephew and nieces are getting so big!"

"Let them breathe a minute, Alice. How was the drive, Edward? Not too much traffic, I hope?"

"No, Mom, it was fine. It's good to see you. Happy Thanksgiving," I said, giving her a hug.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too, honey. Look how big my granddaughter is, Edward! Nine months already!" she said happily, indicating the baby in my arms.

"Hello Bella dear, Happy Thanksgiving," Esme kissed Bella on the cheek, and then hugged Masen and Libby. "Hello, Masen, Libby! You look so grown up! Your cousins are in the living room; if you'd like to go play." Masen and Libby nodded their heads eagerly, and rushed off.

"Can I hold her, Edward?" Alice asked eagerly, holding her arms out for Ella.

"Don't you have enough babies to look after?" I asked teasingly, as I gave her my baby girl. Alice and Jasper had two little twin boys, and were expecting again in the spring.

"Oh hush, Edward. You never know; this next baby might be a girl. I haven't had one of those yet." She said, tickling Ella under her chin. "Ella is good practice for that, just in case." Bella laughed, and took my arm. We walked behind Alice into the living room, where the rest of the family was.

My older brother, Emmett, and his wife Rosalie were sitting on the couch, and Jasper and Carlisle were talking by the fireplace. Emmett and Rosalie's children, Emmalie and Royce, who were ten and six, respectively, were sitting on the floor. Emmalie had inherited her mother's trademark blonde curls, and Royce looked like a miniature version of Emmett. They both had their mother's charm and tenacity, which sometimes was a little hard for Emmett to take. _That_ Cullen household was liveliest of all, and none of us knew what we would do if Emmett's family ceased to brighten our days with their humor and vivacity. The two oldest cousins were surrounded by Masen and Libby, and also Alice and Jasper's twins. Brandon and Jackson were three years old and the apple of their parents' eyes. They both had Jasper's wild golden hair and Alice's dark eyes. Brandon took after his mother in energetic personality and lively temperament, yet Jackson was more _laissez-faire_ and had a tranquil disposition about him, like Jasper. Alice's boys were always dressed in the latest fashions, but the whole family knew that Alice longed for a little girl to share her love of shopping and designing with. Both Bella and Rosalie hoped that she would indeed receive a daughter this time around, because if a little girl Hale did not make an appearance, Emmalie and Libby would be almost certainly subjected to Alice's fashion forward whims. They appreciated Alice's generosity towards their daughters, but sometimes Alice could be a bit much. You would think that having two three year old boys would tone Alice down a little, but if anything, she had more energy than ever. Poor Jasper.

After greeting my siblings and father, we settled in the living room to converse. The children, excepting Ella, had congregated in the playroom Esme had put together, leaving the adults in peace to talk freely.

"So, Emmett, how's the coaching position working out for you?" Carlisle asked my brother, who had his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders.

"It's great, Dad. I was a little skeptical about the job, because, well, I wasn't sure how well it would work out. I mean, I've coached baseball before, but that was Royce's little league, not students at Forks High. But they're a great group of guys, mostly juniors and seniors. They're really enthused about the game."

"That's 'cause you bring it to life, babe." Rosalie said, giving his arm a squeeze. Emmett blushed red, and we all laughed. It was true, though. Emmett's love of baseball really encouraged his players to work harder and appreciate the game more. I doubted they would have so much enthusiasm if they had a different coach.

"That's so great, Emmett. Alice, did that big company approve your designs?" My mother asked. Alice's eyes instantly lit up, and I could have sworn that she bounced a little in her seat, like a second grader.

"Yes! They approved everything, and I can start the first week of December. I have full control over their spring fashion show. They wanted me to start early, obviously, because when spring rolls around, I'll be on maternity leave."

"Of course. And Jasper, you're okay with all of this?" Jasper looked at his wife with loving eyes.

"As long as she doesn't work too hard, it's cool with me. I've finished soundproofing the basement, so I'll be able to hold rehearsals at the house. I couldn't drag the boys with me to the studio every time I have to practice. And my band mates are cool with it, so it's a win- win situation."

"I'm sure Brandon and Jack will be so happy to have you at home with them for a few months, until Alice's project it finished."

"It's good for now. I'm actually kind of excited about it. The band isn't going on tour again until next fall, so I have some time to relax and chill with my boys." Esme smiled at him, and then turned to me.

"Edward? How was your little weekend episode? Did the power lines get fixed and everything?"

I smiled ruefully. "The weekend…was an experience. We got the power back on Sunday, which was nice. We had our fair share of drama, didn't we Bella?"

Bella laughed. "Yes, we did. I swear, I'm not eating peanut butter and jelly again for months, probably. But it was fun, kind of, don't you think? I mean…sure, Ella was sick, and Masen scared me to death, but… I think we really had some good times, even though we didn't know what was coming next."

"I agree. It was totally unexpected, and in some strange way, I think we grew a little closer to each other." I said, reaching over to take her hand.

"You guys are going to make me sick. Leave it to you two to make getting snowed in a Lifetime movie. Let's talk carnage. Jazz, did you see the game last week? I swear, if they don't make it to the championships…" Emmett effectively steered the conversation in a more electrifying direction, and the subject of our weekend was dropped.

An hour later, it was time for Thanksgiving dinner. The adults were seated around Esme's antique dining room table, and the children had been served in the kitchen. Ella sat on my lap as I ate, and occasionally reached out to grab food off of my plate. She was beginning to try solid foods and was currently chewing on a green bean, showing off the new little pearly white teeth she had acquired over the weekend. Bella, who was seated next to me, continuously peered over my arm that was supporting Ella to make sure that she wasn't eating anything she shouldn't be. Our baby was constantly discovering new foods, and we needed to make sure she didn't have an allergic reaction to anything she ate. We already knew that she was lactose intolerant, and that she might be allergic to foods that had red dye in them. So, just to be extra careful, we diligently watched her when she put something she hadn't tried before in her mouth.

"Give her some sweet potato, Edward, I think she'd like that," Bella suggested, taking a sip from her wineglass. I obligingly scooped a tiny morsel of the smashed potato off of the white china plate with my index finger, and put it against Ella's ruby lips. She eagerly accepted it, and her little mouth broke into a wide smile when she tasted the sweet food.

I laughed at her expression. "She loves it, Bella."

Bella smiled and placed a kiss on top of Ella's head. "I told you so." We finished dinner, laughing with my parents and siblings. I thought Esme was going to be permanently pink from all the compliments she had been given on the supper we had just eaten. Ella had fallen asleep in my arms towards the end of dinner, firmly holding onto my gold tie, which left me with only one hand to eat with. I could feel her little warm breaths against the crease of my shirt as she peacefully slept, oblivious to the conversations and noises around her. My mother pleadingly asked if she could put her to bed, insisting that Bella and I relax. I handed my daughter over to my mother, prying her small fingers off of my tie. Rosalie and Alice brought out dessert, and we all shared stories of past Thanksgivings well into the night.

Alice and Jasper left right after dessert, because the twins were getting cranky, and also because Alice needed her 'beauty sleep' if she was going to go shopping at four in the morning with Rosalie tomorrow. Emmett and Rosalie bid us goodbye shortly thereafter, for the same reasons. Both of my siblings still lived in Forks, and were able to visit my parents frequently. I had considered moving back to Forks, but the time wasn't right yet and I wasn't sure that it would ever be feasible for me and Bella to do so. I missed seeing my parents on a regular basis, and I knew Bella missed spending time with her father. We weren't unhappy in Seattle, but Forks would be the ideal location for us to live.

Bella and I sat on the big white couch in the living room with my mother, and Masen and Libby were laying on the floor, the condition of their dress clothes now a lost cause, listening to my father talk about some of his more interesting patients at the hospital where he worked. Some of the things his patients did were pretty amusing and he had us laughing so hard it hurt.

I looked at the clock over the mantle in the living room to see that it was already past nine o'clock. I didn't realize we had been talking with my parents for so long. We would need to leave soon if we wanted to get to the hotel at a reasonable hour.

"Well, we should get going," I said, as I slowly stood up. I offered my hand to Bella; she took it and stood, brushing imaginary crumbs off of her dress.

"I put Ella in our room, if you'd like to say goodbye before you leave." Esme said gently as she collected our coffee cups. Bella nodded, and together we walked upstairs to my parents' room. My wife stopped at the door, and shyly looked up at me.

"What?" I asked, wondering what the matter was.

"You open the door…it feels weird to go into your parents' room." She said, blushing red.

I laughed softly, and opened the door. I saw that Esme had set up a crib at the foot of the king size bed that dominated the room. Bella made a beeline for it and leaned over the wood railings. Ella was sleeping peacefully on her back, treasured pacifier securely in her mouth. Bella gently lifted her out of the crib, making sure her pink blanket was still draped over her little body. My wife bent and placed a kiss on our baby's forehead, then turned and held her out to me. I took her from Bella's arms, trying not to jostle her accidentally and consequently, wake her up. I kissed her head too, and whispered that I loved her, before setting her down in the crib. Bella readjusted her covers, and brushed Ella's soft brown hair away from her eyes.

"See you tomorrow, little one," she murmured before straightening back up. We walked out of the room, turning off the dimmed light as we passed it. Making our way back downstairs, I saw Masen and Libby sitting on the couch, both looking like they were ready to fall asleep at any moment. Bella and I came over to them, and kissed them both, telling them to be good and to help with Ella. Masen lovingly told us goodbye, excited about spending time with his grandparents. He was used to these little overnight stays that we infrequently made. Libby, however, was another story. I blamed the loss of a nap plus the piece of pie she wolfed down after dinner for the little breakdown she had as Bella and I were getting our coats on. I knew Libby didn't quite understand that we were actually leaving without her, but I had hoped that since we were leaving her with people she knew and loved, that she would be okay and go along with it. I was very wrong. Bella was talking with Esme, no doubt telling her some last minute things, and I was fastening my coat buttons when Libby finally figured out what was going on. She jumped off of the couch, tears already starting to fall, as she raced towards my wife, little arms outstretched.

"No, Mommy! Don't want you to go!" Libby sobbed, tears streaking down her face. She urgently tugged on the hem of Bella's dress, silently begging to be held. I could see Bella's resolve weakening as Libby continued to cry. I walked over to them, and swiftly lifted Libby off of the floor. My baby grabbed the front of my shirt, and looked up at me pleadingly.

"No go, Daddy? Pwease? Don't go 'way, Daddy!" I wiped her tears away, and smoothed her bronze curls, before kissing her forehead.

"Princess, Mommy and I have to go tonight. We'll be back tomorrow morning. That isn't a very long time," I said to her gently, "We'll be back here before you know it. I love you, baby. Now go give Mommy a kiss goodbye."

"I wov you, Daddy," She hiccupped sadly before holding her arms out to Bella. Bella cradled our daughter to her breast, and placed a kiss on the top of her hair. She gently swayed from side to side, and whispered soothing promises into her ear. Libby gave her a kiss, and hugged her neck tightly.

"Come back soon, Mommy. I wov you," she said softly as Bella put her down. Esme came over, and picked Libby up.

"Let's get you to bed, little Libby. Say goodnight to Mommy and Daddy."

"'Night, Mommy, 'night Daddy," she said as she blew us each a kiss, before Esme led her upstairs. I looked at Bella, who hugged her arms around her waist. I could tell she felt guilty about leaving our children here for the night, especially since they were so dependent on us, but I was not about to let that hotel room go to waste. It wasn't that I was so eager to dump the kids with my parents to go and spend… _quality time_ with my wife, I wasn't that uncaring. My heart had given quite a few pangs as I said goodbye to each one of my children, and Libby's little display had made my own resolve to go out for the night waver more than I thought it would. But both Bella and I desperately desired a night away, children or no children. We both had been stressed the past few weeks and we simply needed to be with each other without any interruptions. I went to Bella, and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Ready to go, Love?" I whispered. She looked up at me with doubt in her eyes.

"Are you sure about this, Edward? Libby seemed really upset and I'm a little worried about Ella. You know she's been clingy with her teeth coming in-" I gently pressed two of my fingers to her lips.

"Bella love, our babies will be fine. You know Libby will be her normal self come morning, and Ella can go without Mommy and Daddy for a few hours. Masen all but shooed us out the door. They'll be fine, Bella. So please don't worry about it. We need this, Bella. But, we should probably go before either of us changes our minds," I stepped away from her and gently tugged on her hand. "Let's go say goodbye, and then we'll leave." She chuckled softly, before following me into the kitchen. Carlisle was standing at one of the counters, pouring himself a glass of water. He turned around at the sound of our footsteps, a smile gracing his features.

"You guys sure about leaving? You're welcome to crash here tonight, if you want." He said teasingly.

Bella squeezed my hand tightly and answered quickly, "We're good. We just came to say goodbye." She stepped forward, releasing my hand, and gave the man I called Father a hug. I shook his hand, and he clapped me on the back.

"You two take your time. Esme and I can't wait to spend some time with our grandkids, so don't hurry back. We'll call you if we have any questions, and I'm sure your Mother has already memorized the list you've given her." He walked us to the door, and we stepped outside. Carlisle remained inside, one hand on the doorknob.

"Have fun, you two," he said with a wink, and then shut the door behind us. Bella and I laughed in spite of ourselves, then quickly ran to the car to escape the snowflakes that were falling down on us. Both of us had the silliest grins on our faces, like children on Christmas morning. We both got in the car, shivering from the cold. As I turned the keys in the ignition, I looked over at my wife.

"Ready, love?" I asked, unable to keep the huge smile off of my face.

"Eager much, Cullen?" She questioned, eyes fixated on the speedometer. "Of course I'm ready, but we have all night. _Slow down_, Edward. We're in my dad's territory now, remember? I would hate for him to pull us over. He'd want to know exactly why you are going twenty miles over the speed limit. The fact that we don't have any children with us and that our destination is a hotel room wouldn't really warm Charlie's heart, you know?"

Her little tirade had me creeping along the deserted streets of Forks at a dignified thirty. Even though it was unlikely that Charlie would be working on this particular night, I did not want to take any chances. I didn't need one more reason to make my father in law dislike me. Our relationship was strained enough. I knew that Bella hated that we couldn't get along. I hated it too. You would think that after being with Bella for six years, and having children with her, that he'd know I'm here to stay. He still hadn't gotten over the past. He thought I had no idea just how lucky I was to have married his daughter. He thought I didn't know that I was unworthy of her affection. He never ceased to remind me of it. But I knew more than he thought I did.

I knew I wasn't good enough for Bella.

I knew that.

I knew being a firefighter wasn't an ideal occupation.

I knew that.

I knew I didn't make a lot of money.

I knew that.

I knew there were times I couldn't provide for my family.

I knew that.

I knew I could go to work one day and never come back.

I knew that.

I knew I couldn't pay all of the hospital bills that were sitting on my kitchen counter.

I knew that.

I knew my wife and my children deserved better.

I knew that.

I knew if anyone was going to be leaving, it would be Bella.

I knew that.

And it scared me. I couldn't live without her.

I felt a warm hand on my arm.

"Edward? Are you alright? You look like you're going to snap the steering wheel in half. I was kidding about Charlie. He won't be patrolling the streets, he always gets Thanksgiving off." Bella asked, concern lacing her features.

I couldn't look at her. "Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Are you happy?"

"Why do you ask?" Confusion colored her voice.

"Just answer the question, please."

"Yes, Edward. I'm happy. I've never been happier." She tugged on my arm. "Edward? What brought this on? Are you sick? You're not drunk, are you?"

"No, Bella. I'm perfectly fine. I just want to know- are you happy, here with me? Do you regret marrying me? I know I can't give you everything, but-" Her warm fingers gently covered my mouth.

"Edward, I don't know why you're asking me this, but I am so in love with you and happier than I ever thought I would be. I wouldn't trade our life together for anything. I couldn't imagine life without you and our babies. I love you, Edward, and wouldn't give what we have together for the whole world."

I turned to look at her, frustrated. "But that's the thing, Bella. You deserve the whole world."

"I don't want it. All I want is you."

I couldn't doubt the sincerity in her tone of voice. She meant every word she said. I pulled her hand and twined our fingers together, resting them on my leg. I could feel the cool metal of her wedding ring against my skin, and I remembered what was engraved inside it. _Forever_. She made a promise to me. That we would be together for as long as we lived. And my Bella always kept her promises. I had nothing to worry about. I didn't know why I had freaked out so much. Bella had never indicated tonight that she was unhappy. I had to stop all of this self doubt. I couldn't worry about what Charlie and the rest of them thought. I couldn't let their disapproval ruin my time with Bella. One day, Charlie and I would reconcile. One day we would be father and son again. But today was not that day. I had to focus on what I had.

"I'm sorry, Bella, if I scared you. I just…got to thinking."

"Then don't think, Edward. Tonight is just about you and me. Nothing else. Whatever thought that was causing that huge frown line to mar your forehead, put it in a drawer and shut it tight. Forget about it. Just for tonight. Do it for me. Promise? I love you, Edward Cullen, even when you drive _way over the speed limit_." She threw a scathing glance at the needle on the speedometer, and frowned at me, so I gently eased my foot off of the gas.

We arrived at the hotel much faster than a normal person would have, with Bella having been torn between urging me to slow down and wanting to get there as fast as possible. The excited smiles back on our faces, I grabbed Bella's hand, and we rushed into the brightly lit hotel, taking care not to slip on the icy sidewalk. A bored looking clerk sat at the front desk, reading a dog eared magazine. He looked up at our entrance, and a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. I did not want to know what he was thinking. Both Bella and I had flushed faces and our eyes were more than likely sparkling with excitement.

"Do you have a reservation, Sir, Ma'am?" He asked flatly, his eyes lingering on my wife. I frowned at him, and cleared my throat loudly.

"Yes, we do. It's under Cullen." I said impatiently.

He typed something into the computer he sat in front of, and abruptly handed me two key cards.

"Room 721. Enjoy your stay." He said, and turned back to his magazine.

Bella pulled me towards the elevators, and we got in, pressing the button for level seven. I pressed a kiss into Bella's hair.

"I love you." She giggled, and hid her face in my coat.

The elevator dinged, signaling that we had come to level seven. We stepped out, and walked down the hall to our room. I unlocked the door, and did not miss Bella's gasp.

"Oh, Edward, this is beautiful," she said, running her hands over the wood paneling on the wall. "Are you sure we can afford this?" she asked, looking up at me with anxious eyes.

"I'm more than sure, love. This is for you. Enjoy it."

And with that, I shut the door behind us, ready to forget everything that lay behind me. Tonight was about me and Bella. We were freed from responsibility and the weights that had been placed on our shoulders.

We were no longer Mommy and Daddy. Nor were we firefighter and housewife. We were Edward and Bella. Alone. Together. However you wanted to say it.

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**AN**: Yeah, I ended it there. So, uh, you can come up with whatever you think they did on their night away. I don't write explicit stuff, sorry. I was practically crying when I wrote this- emotional chappie for me. I hope you liked it. Review, please? I love my reviews, but I'm getting less and less each time I post. :( Is there a reason for that? Am I boring you guys already? Too much fluff? Too unrealistic? Let me know.

The next thing you guys will get from me is the first chapter of the prequel story. Put me on author alert if you want it. This story (**PB&J**) is still my baby, but I'm really excited for the prequel. It's got quite a plot! And it will be a BIG story! Here is a teeny sneak peek:

"**Shut **_**up**_**, Jazz! He's asleep and Rosalie is nowhere in sight."**

Now, who could have said that? :) Just like this story, I won't continue to update unless I get some feedback. Just tell me if I'm doing an okay job, alright? Love you guys! **ybeg **


	7. Epidemic

**AN: Yikes. 21 days since I last updated. I am so sorry guys! I would write all the time, but college enrollment and choosing fall classes are taking up a lot of my time! This chapter takes place the second week on December. Mini time jump. **

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"_Concealing an illness is like keeping a beach ball under water." -Karen Duffy_

-Chapter Seven: Epidemic-

_10:37 p.m._

"Finally," Bella exhaled, as she placed a sleeping Ella in her crib.

Our baby had stopped sleeping through the night, and it was taking a toll on me and Bella. We would put Ella to bed at seven thirty in the evening, and she would wake up again every two and a half to three hours after that, wanting to be fed, and surprisingly, wanting to play. The cycle would continue on until morning. I was beginning to think that I slept more at the station than I did at home. After a memorable meltdown yesterday afternoon, I called the pediatrician's office and was able to squeeze in an appointment for this morning. The doctor had found nothing physically wrong with Ella, but attributed the sleeplessness and hunger to a growth spurt and the fact that she wouldn't be crawling for much longer. Because Ella had just turned ten months, we expected her to start walking soon, like Libby and Masen had. The doctor said to humor her while her body adjusted to walking, but after that, Ella would need to be put back on her regular schedule. Bella had been ready to strangle the pediatrician when she had been told this- obviously, the woman did not have any children of her own and must not have realized how much Ella's sleeping schedule affected the rest of our family. I dragged a furious wife, two cranky little children, and a screaming baby out of the office without a backward glance.

Bella and I quietly tiptoed out of the room, and we both went into the kitchen, where a sticky mess was awaiting us. I could feel a migraine coming on, and I wanted to hurry and clean up so I could go to bed. I was feeling slightly sick and achy, but chalked it up to not enough rest because of Ella's night owl behavior. Neither Bella nor I was in the mood to converse. She looked paler than usual, and the dark rings under her eyes troubled me. She silently cleared off the table, and dumped the dishes in the sink. I methodically wiped the stove free of pasta sauce, and cleaned off the counters as well. We had had spaghetti for dinner, and the red sauce and noodles were everywhere. Nobody had eaten much, but the kitchen nonetheless was in pretty bad shape. I was wiping the table, and Bella was ladling the spaghetti sauce into a Tupperware container, when suddenly, she gagged and put a hand over her mouth. I watched her dart into the bathroom, and followed closely behind, as she knelt in front of the toilet and was violently sick. I sat behind her and held her hair away from her face. She finished, gasping, and rested her back against my chest.

"Bella, love, are you alright?" I asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I feel so much better now," she chuckled weakly, "I don't know what came over me. All of the sudden, the sauce smelled so bad that I felt incredibly nauseated."

I was about to say something but I snapped my mouth shut so the wrong words wouldn't come out. I wasn't ready for that, not again, not _now_.

"I'll finish the kitchen, love, you need to go to bed," I said firmly, standing up and pulling Bella to her feet.

"No, Edward, let me help, that way we both can get some equal rest. You're here, I want to spend time with you before you have to leave again," she protested. She turned to face me, and gave me a look she knew I wouldn't be able to resist. I sighed dramatically, and wrapped my arm around her waist, leading her back into the kitchen. She pulled out of my embrace and made a beeline for the refrigerator, taking out a bottle of water and promptly downing half of it. My head was still throbbing, and I was beginning to feel a little dizzy. I knew I had to get some sleep soon or I would be really sick come morning. Bella and I finished cleaning in silence, and she went to go take a shower while I turned off all the lights in the house and made sure the doors and windows were locked.

I finally joined my wife in bed around eleven thirty, wrapping her in my arms, and drifting off to sleep almost immediately.

_1:26 a.m._

Ella let us get in two hours of sleep before she woke up for the second time that night. Bella heard her cry through the baby monitor first, and went to get her out of her crib before she woke up Masen and Libby. She came back with Ella in her arms, and tiredly crawled back into bed. I was tempted to pull the covers over my head and fall back asleep, but I felt guilty that Bella was the one who had to get up every time Ella woke up. So I stayed awake as best I could, listening to Ella's contented gurgling as she ate, and Bella's slow breathing, as she too, fought the battle against her eyelids. Ella finally finished, and my wife placed her in the middle of the bed, anticipating the next time Ella would wake us up.

However, sweet little Ella Renesmee was in no mood to go back to sleep. She sat up, and began to crawl around the bed. I reached out, and gently pulled her little body back up, placing her under the covers. Bella gave her a pacifier, hoping to convey the message that it was time to sleep, not play. Ella whined unhappily, trying to wriggle free of the confining covers. I turned onto my stomach, and put one hand on Ella's small tummy, so it would be harder for her to get out of the bed. I didn't want her to fall out or anything while Bella and I tried to get some sleep. Ella moved around some more and began to whimper, first softly and then slowly increasing in volume. Her little noises soon became full blown wails, and she refused to have the pacifier in her mouth. Thoroughly frustrated, I ripped the covers off of my body and picked the baby up, cradling her head against my chest. I grabbed the pacifier that lay on the sheets, and went and sat in the rocking chair that sat in the corner of the room. I pulled a blanket over her, and began to rock her slowly, humming a tune I used to play on the piano. Bella noticed what I was doing and murmured her thanks before allowing her eyes to droop shut.

Ella's sobs soon subsided, and she let me put the pacifier back in her mouth. My head spun for a moment, and I felt slightly dizzy again. I guess I had moved too quickly from bed to chair, and the lack of sleep was affecting my vision. When Ella finally quieted down, I gingerly moved out of the rocking chair and back into bed, placing the drowsy baby between Bella and me. I tossed the covers back over my body, and threw an arm over my eyes, desperate for unconsciousness.

_3:17 a.m. _

Someone was shaking my shoulder.

"Edward? _Edward_, wake up. I need your help."

Groaning, I opened my eyes and found Bella's chocolate ones inches from my face. I could hear crying somewhere in the house, and I wondered what the matter was.

"Whazz going on?" I mumbled, rubbing a hand over my face, trying to comprehend the situation.

Bella was evidently more awake than I was and she shook me again.

"Masen threw up, Edward. I need you to give him a bath. Ella won't stop crying and I don't think Libby feels well either."

Bella had me out of bed after the first three words. Fully awake now, I threw a shirt on over my sweatpants and quickly walked down the hall. Masen was sitting by the bed, crying, as children do after they've gotten sick. Bella had taken the sheets off of his bed, and she had also stripped him of his pajamas. Libby was still in her bed, but her eyes were red rimmed and I could see her face was flushed in the glow of the lamp on the bedside table. Ella was standing up in her crib, looking at her surrounding with wide eyes, tear tracks visible on her little face. I went over to Masen, and he reached out for me, still sobbing. I scooped him up and held his unusually warm body against mine, hoping to comfort him.

"It's all right, buddy," I said softly as I walked to the bathroom, brushing past Bella as she went to check on the girls.

"I th-threw up Daddy, a-all over. F-felt yucky," He explained as I set him on the cool tile and began to run water in the tub.

"I know, little man, it's gross. We'll give you a bath and then maybe you'll feel better," I said soothingly.

I helped him peel off the rest of his clothes, and set him in the bathtub. I quickly cleaned him up, and let him splash in the water for a few minutes. I _had_ to sit down. I was having hot and cold flashes, sweating one minute and shivering the next. I knew that my being sick was inevitable now. I sat on the closed toilet and put my head in my hands, trying to dull the pain I felt in my temple. My stomach didn't feel so great either, and I hoped I wouldn't get sick like Masen and Bella had. It was almost four o'clock when I pulled Masen from the bathtub and wrapped him in a towel.

I guided him back to the bedroom and helped him put on fresh pajamas. Bella was sitting on Libby's bed, stroking her soft bronze curls with one hand, and cradling very cranky Ella with the other. I smiled at her wearily, and she returned the gesture. I took a comb out, and quickly ran it through his damp hair, so his 'bed head' wouldn't be too atrocious come morning. I went to put Masen back in his bed, but he clung to me.

"No, Daddy, please, I sleep with you? I'm… scared," he whispered, eyes downcast. I looked over his head at Bella for approval, and she nodded weakly, standing up.

_6:04 a.m. _

To say that I was merely ill was an understatement. My head ached, my mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls, my body felt like it was on fire, and my stomach was churning, threatening to make last night's dinner reappear. Bella wasn't much better than I was, and neither were our children. Both Masen _and_ Libby had thrown up last night, and Ella had been inconsolable well into early morning. I was currently lying in bed, my head under a pillow. All of the kids were in bed with us too, and I could feel Libby's hot little body pressed up against mine. I felt the pillow lift off my face, and squeezed my eyes shut at the invading brightness.

"Edward," Bella said softly, "I found the thermometer. C'mon," she gently shook my shoulder. I open my eyes, and blinked a few times so my eyes could adjust. She was standing by the edge of the bed, in her pajamas, with the sleeves rolled up. I knew she was changing the kids' sheets that they had gotten sick on, and I would have helped, but every time I tried to get up, I got dizzy and my stomach would protest. Bella gave me the white stick and I slid it under my tongue. She sat on the bed with me, and laid her head on my chest. I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead, but I couldn't tell whether she had a fever too, since I was so warm. The thermometer beeped after a minute, and Bella pulled it out of my mouth. She glanced at it, then handed it to me. _102.9_. We both exchanged a worried glance. It was a degree and a half higher than it had been two hours ago. My fever was getting worse, not better. I laid back down, and tucked my arm under my head.

"Check Libby," I said to my wife. Bella sterilized the thermometer with an alcohol wipe, and coaxed Libby's mouth open. Libby tiredly blinked her eyes open but when Bella tried to stick the thermometer in, she screamed.

"No, Mommy! Don't want it!" She said, in between fits of coughing. Libby scrambled into my lap and hid her face in my shirt. Bella tried to pry Libby away from me, but Libby held on to the comforter wrapped around us tightly and wailed even louder. I held my hand out for the thermometer, and Bella placed it in my palm.

"Libby, honey, you need to open your mouth. Daddy needs to check your temperature." She shook her head and I sighed. I didn't want to play the mean parent, but both Bella and I needed to know just how sick she was. I reached for Libby, but she squirmed out of my arms and tried to jump out of the bed to escape me and the dreaded thermometer. However, her small foot got caught in the bed covers, and she tumbled onto the floor. I winced as I heard her small body hit the floor with a muffled thud. Libby screamed even louder as her head bonked the hard wood. I bent over the bed to check on her, but instantly regretted it as my stomach rolled. I clutched my torso and clapped a hand over my mouth. I was going to be sick. Throwing an apologizing glance at Bella, and tossing her the thermometer, I stumbled out of bed and ran towards the bathroom, making it just time. When I was done being horrifically sick, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cool white porcelain side of the bathtub. The taste left in my mouth was awful, but I didn't feel like I had the strength to get up and get a glass of water. I heard little feet gently slapping against the tile floor, and opened my eyes.

"Here, Daddy," Masen said, holding out to me a glass of ice water. I looked at him gratefully, before accepting the glass, and I downed it all. I set the glass on the floor, and held my arms out to my son. He came and sat with me, mindful of my sensitive stomach.

"Thanks, little man. I needed that."

"You're welcome, Daddy. I hope your tummy feels better."

"Me too, buddy."

Bella came in the bathroom, a whimpering Libby on her hip. "Oh, honey, are you okay?"

"I will be," I sighed, and slowly got up off of the floor. I went over to Bella, and wiped Libby's tears away. "Are you okay, baby girl?" Libby shook her head, and pointed to the white stick in Bella's hand.

"Mean Mommy," she rasped out, her face in full pout mode. I chuckled, and lifted Libby out of Bella's arms. Libby rested her head against my shoulder and yawned. I walked back to the bedroom, and placed Libby on the bed. She instantly snuggled into the pillows, and I draped the comforter over her. Bella and Masen were right behind me, and I sat on the bed, rubbing my eyes.

"How high was her temperature, love?" I asked my wife.

"Almost the same degree as yours, Edward." She said, and I could hear worry slip into her voice. I wasn't a doctor, but I knew that if Libby's fever spiked any higher, we would have to take her to the hospital. With my size, I could handle a higher fever, but Libby was so small…

"I'm hungry, Mommy," Masen whined, tugging on the hem of Bella's shirt.

"What do you want, Mase?" I asked him. I wasn't sure if my stomach could handle even the smell of food, but I was willing to try.

"Eggs," he said, looking at me pleadingly. Bella instantly paled. Her stomach was even more sensitive than my own, and I knew that I would be the one to make the eggs this time. The only time Bella ate eggs was when she was pregnant. _Then_ she scarfed them down like crazy.

I got off the bed, and Masen grabbed my hand. We walked to the kitchen, and I desperately tried to ignore the pounding in my head. I pulled out a frying pan, and Masen gave me an egg from the refrigerator. I quickly fried it for him, and flipped it onto a blue plate, the nausea quickly making itself known again as the egg finished cooking. Eggs weren't exactly my favorite food either. I hadn't had such a bad case of the flu in years. I usually got a flu shot at the end of September. I couldn't remember why I didn't get one this year. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble. I poured myself another glass of water, and went back to the bedroom. Bella was sitting on the bed, peeling off Libby's now sweaty pajamas.

"Her fever is so _high_, Edward. I'm going to give her a bath," she said, picking up Libby and taking her to the bathroom. I followed her like a lost puppy, before she huffed at me in exasperation, and said, "Edward, do you think you could run a load of laundry? I'd like to get the sheets cleaned. Of course, if you're still feeling sick, I can do it," she said, as she began to run water in the bathtub. I quickly shook my head.

"No, I can do it," I lied (truthfully, all I wanted to do was lie down), and began to walk out.

"Oh, and Edward? Could you please wake up the baby and give her some applesauce? I want to try and get her back on schedule so we don't have a repeat of last night."

"Sure, love."

I went into the cramped laundry room that smelled like sick and grabbed the detergent off of the shelf above the dryer. Measuring carefully, I poured a full cup of the blue soap and turned on the washing machine. I held my breath, and threw the soiled sheets in the swirling water. I shut the lid on the machine, and went back to the bedroom. Ella was curled up at the head of the bed, on her tummy, her little bottom sticking up in the air, pacifier in her mouth. She wasn't sick, per se, but with all the commotion that had gone on last night, she had been woken up and was consequently cranky. It had been hard for Bella and me to get her back to sleep. She had finally crashed at around five in the morning, after having been walked around the house and being fed numerous times. Now, here I was, one and a half hours later, getting ready to wake her up again. I dreaded doing it, flashbacks of last night (or rather, this morning) running through my head at top speed. Waking up a sleeping baby wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing in the world, especially when said baby had had a very rough night. I gently picked Ella up, pressing my lips to her forehead. I slowly rocked her back and forth, letting my fingers gently tap up and down her little belly. She stirred and whimpered, rubbing her face into my arm.

"I know, baby, it's too early for me too," I whispered.

Her sparkling hazel eyes finally opened, and she lifted one hand to grasp the collar of my t-shirt. She gave a small yawn, showcasing her cherry lips and little pearly whites. I took the pacifier out of her mouth and laid it on the bedside table. Bella and I were trying to only have her use the pacifier for sleeping so she didn't get too attached to it. So far, it was working. I carefully stood up, and went back to the kitchen. Masen had finished his egg, and dragged a chair over to the sink. He stood on the chair, elbows deep in soapy water (which he must have made himself), washing his plate. I went over to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at my touch.

"Look, I'm washin' the dishes Daddy!" His little chest puffed out in pride.

"You don't have to do that, buddy. Go play," I said softly, feeling bad that he felt such a sense of responsibility. I was proud of him, but he was only four. He didn't need to be a 'big kid' just yet.

He stubbornly shook his head. "Please, Daddy, I'm helpin'! And it's fun! Look!" He held up the newly washed plate for me to inspect, dripping sudsy water onto the floor.

"You did a great job, Mase. I'm very proud of you." I ruffled his hair, and made sure he didn't drop the plate he was carefully rinsing. He set it on the counter to dry, then hopped off the chair.

"Daddy, can I watch TV?" He asked, looking up at me and biting his lip, just like his mother.

"Of course, buddy," and with that, he raced off, a big smile on his face.

I set Ella in her highchair, and she instantly began her baby babbling, knowing food was coming her way. How she could still be hungry after last night's ordeal was beyond me. I poured applesauce into a small plastic bowl, and got out two baby spoons- one for me, one for Ella. She was discovering what it was like to feed herself, and it was pretty funny to watch her try to cram the spoon in her mouth. I pulled up a seat next to the highchair, and gave one of the spoons to her. She instantly encased it in her little fist, and banged it repeatedly against her tray, relishing the sound her movements made. She obediently opened her mouth when I held a small spoonful up to her lips. Ella loved applesauce, and within ten minutes, the entire bowlful had been eaten. I quickly wiped her hands and face with a washcloth, thankful there wasn't applesauce everywhere. I took her out of her seat, and bounced her in my arms, which earned me a radiant smile.

Suddenly, a little blur of bronze curls and cream colored skin rushed past me, with Bella following right behind.

"Elizabeth Cullen! Come back here and put some clothes on!" Bella snapped, her cheeks flushed pink with frustration.

"I no wike dose jammies, Mommy! No jammies!" Libby cried, hiding behind Ella's highchair.

"Elizabeth, it's freezing cold outside. Come out and put some clothes on, or so help me…" Bella was too angry to finish her threat.

Judging by her water-soaked shirt and messy hair, I gathered that Libby had given her a lot of trouble in the bath. I was tempted to step in, but Bella had asked me to let her try disciplining Libby before she let me deal with her. Libby had started disrespecting Bella because she figured out that most of my wife's threats went unpunished. When I caught wind of this, I was furious, and it took some coaxing from me for Bella to finally put her foot down. Libby wasn't a brat, but she got away with more than I would allow. Bella was a very kind and gentle person at heart, and it hurt her when she had to punish our children. It hurt me too, but I was determined to raise well-mannered children if it was the last thing I did. Libby wasn't usually like this, but since she was sick, she was more temperamental and cranky. Libby was very whiny and picky when she was ill, and it drove me nuts. I was a pretty patient person, but there was a fine line between being bratty and needing attention because one was sick.

"Elizabeth, now."

"No Mommy!"

"Elizabeth Marie!"

"No!"

Bella finally looked to me for help, and I gave her the baby. I knelt by where Libby was hiding, and gently pulled her out. She began to cry into my shoulder, knowing she was in trouble. She decided to play the "Daddy's Girl" card and I nearly caved. She began to shiver in my arms, and I held out my hand for her pajamas. Bella gave them to me, and Libby was too busy throwing a fit and crying to notice that she was slowly being dressed. I discreetly placed my hand on her forehead, and winced when I felt how hot she was. The lukewarm bath really hadn't helped her fever at all. I sighed, and stood up. I placed Libby in her booster chair, despite her protests, and yanked open the cupboard doors. I grabbed a packet of oatmeal out of a box. I ripped it open and threw the contents in a bowl. I mixed a little water into it and put the bowl in the microwave. Libby pouted at me the whole time the oatmeal was heating, and I returned her glare, while Bella stood awkwardly in between us, swaying Ella in her arms. She eventually mumbled something about taking a shower, and left us alone in the kitchen.

The microwave beeped, and I plucked the bowl out, dipping a finger in to test the temperature. It was, as Goldilocks termed it, 'just right'. I dug around for a spoon in one of the drawers and placed both bowl and spoon in front of my unhappy daughter. She looked at the bowl in front of her suspiciously, before picking up the spoon. She put the very tip of it into the oatmeal, barely coating it, before bringing it to her nose and sniffing it delicately. A look of disgust (which would have been cute if I wasn't so aggravated) crossed her face, and she flung the spoon back into the bowl and pushed it away. She crossed her arms over her small chest and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Yucky."

I ran a hand through my hair and gritted my teeth. _She's sick, she's sick…_ I mentally repeated to myself, trying to keep my temper in check. I suppose the fact that I wasn't feeling good myself contributed to my irritable mood, and it wasn't fair to take it out on Libby. I scooped up the bowl and set it on the counter.

"What do you want for breakfast, Libby?" I asked, as calmly as I could.

"Cookie." Of course she would ask for something she wasn't allowed in the morning. I crossed my arms over my chest, mirroring her body language, and repeated the question. Again, the same answer,

"Cookie, Daddy."

I very nearly had to look away. Libby's eyes were Bella's eyes. When I saw Libby's little chocolate pools full of resentment, I saw Bella's eyes, full of anger, gazing at me. Memories came back in a flood, most of them troubling, and I literally shook my head to clear the images from my vision. That was all in the past now. I just needed to focus on the present…and my daughter, who was trying to wiggle out of her seat.

"Libby Marie, do you want a banana? Cereal? How about some toast?" I offered, not really in the mood to bargain with my two year old but desperate for her to eat something. She shook her head, bronze ringlets bouncing as she moved.

"No 'nana's Daddy, I want cookie."

"Libby… no. You need to have real breakfast food. Do you want Daddy to make you an egg? Masen had one."

Sometimes, playing the 'Masen had it' card worked, and sometimes it didn't. Now was not one of those times.

"No eggies, Daddy. I wants a cookie." She said patiently, like _I_ was the picky two year old and she the frustrated parent.

"Libby, no. No cookies in the morning. If you're not going to eat a normal breakfast, you can go to your room."

"Don't want to go! I want cookie!" Libby's voice took on a higher pitch, and it was only a matter of moments before she would begin to scream. I had had enough, and I swiftly lifted my daughter from the chair she was sitting in. I offered her the breakfast choices one last time, which she vehemently refused, so I walked out of the kitchen and left her there, determined not to engage her further in a verbal argument. When she was hungry enough, she would eat without complaint. I could hear her complaints all the way in the living room, and though my heart broke when I heard her crying, I was not going to go back in there. Libby had to learn this the hard way.

_8:29 a.m. _

I was sitting on the couch with a very repentant (and no longer hungry) Libby on my lap and a drowsy Masen tucked into my side. We were watching a movie, Ella was napping, and Bella was eating her breakfast. Things had finally calmed down. I had, however, gotten sick again, and so had Bella, which had me a little worried. If I wasn't better by tomorrow, I would have to call in sick. I had already missed some days because of that stupid storm last month, and because of Thanksgiving. I knew with Christmas and New Year's coming, I would be working more than usual, but I hated having to miss work. The numerous bills that were stacked in the study were not going to pay themselves.

Even if I was okay to go back to work tomorrow, I dreaded leaving Bella with the kids when she (and they) was so sick. I wished her fear of needles hadn't kept her from getting her flu shot. Next year, everyone would get one. I was not going to have a repeat of this ever again. I hoped that Bella would be feeling better by the time I had to leave again.

The dull ring of the doorbell brought me out of my musings, and I stood quickly, Libby on my hip. We didn't get visitors too often, but I figured that it was the mailman or something. I opened the door, but the two people standing on my doorstep were the farthest thing from postal workers.

Renee and Phil Dwyer were standing directly in front of me, bright smiles on their faces and suitcases in hand.

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**AN: Yay! Renee and Phil! I really hope you guys liked this chapter. I hope Libby didn't seem too bratty. She was pretty sick, and I know kids in RL who get really difficult when they don't feel good. **

**If you didn't already know, the first chapter of the prequel story to this one is now up. It's called "****Fireproof****". Please check it out and let me know what you think. **

**I know some of you guys couldn't review the last chapter, but I got the ****lowest**** number of reviews ****ever**** for chapter six. :( Please review and let me know you're still with me! **

**Thank you for your continued support!**

**ybeg :)**


	8. Not As It Seems

**AN: Huh? What's this? An **_**update**_**? Oh my... is this story back on? I don't know, but Renee kept pestering for me to stick her in here, so here she is, in all her glory... **

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-Chapter Eight: Not As It Seems-

"Renee?" I gasped out, all the air leaving my lungs. My mother in law laughed, and reached out to engulf me in a hug.

"Edward, darling, so good to see you! Bet you didn't expect to see us! Well, surprise, surprise! Here we are! And how is my little Libby Marie this morning?"

She stepped back to get a good look at Libby, who was holding tightly to my shirt and had her legs locked around my torso in a vise.

"Gracious, Phil, look at my grandbaby! Boy, do they grow fast-"

Phil cut her off, sensing that all was not well in this Cullen household. His searching eyes drifted from my face to Libby's, and back again.

"Edward," he finally said, extending a smooth palm, "How are you? Is everything alright?"

"Actually, we've been-"

"Edward, who is at the- _Mom_? Phil?" Bella stepped out from behind me, Ella in her arms.

"Hi honey!" Renee sang, throwing her arms around Bella and squeezing tightly, "Well, aren't you going to invite us in? Washington in the winter is a lot colder than Florida, you know," she said reprovingly.

Bella instantly flushed. "Of course, Mom, please, come in," she said weakly, gesturing inside. Renee hissed for Phil to get their bags, and I shut the door behind us all, shivering. Bella and I looked at each other in disbelief, and I could see the worry appear in her eyes. We were in no shape to have house guests, family members or not.

"Mom- this is, well, quite a surprise," Bella began awkwardly, rubbing Ella's back in soothing circles, trying to get her to sleep.

"Isn't it?" Renee said, breathlessly, giggling girlishly. "Honestly, honey, if I had any idea we would have been popping up here, I would have called you!"

"But Phil here," she affectionately patted his arm, "decided to surprise me with a trip to Hawaii! Can you believe it? _Hawaii_. Oh, I can't wait- Florida sand is _nothing_ like Hawaiian sand, and of course, we'll be there over the holidays, can you imagine Christmastime in a place so tropical? I said to Phil, on the way over here, that we'll have to decorate a palm tree or something- I doubt they'd have a real-"

"Honey," Phil bumped her shoulder lightly, "you're getting ahead of yourself. Edward, Bella, it was my idea to stop here for a little while, since we were in town and the airport we're flying out of to go to Maui happened to be on the way to your house. I wouldn't have done it, knowing you guys were sick." He looked very uncomfortable with the situation. Phil hated imposing on people.

Renee gasped, her eyes fluttering to my countenance, then Bella's, and back again.

"You're sick? Oh, my, I had no idea. Come to think of it, Edward darling, you do seem sort of haggard, and Bella... my goodness. What are those ghastly bruises under your eyes? What _have_ you two been up to?"

"We just have a touch of the flu, Mom. We're just tired, that's all." Bella attempted, trying to diffuse the situation.

Renee ignored her, and turned to me. "How long have you been sick like this, Edward?"

I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair, still holding tightly to Libby, who had fallen asleep on my shoulder.

"It started last night. Everybody's been sick at least once, except the baby." There was no point in sugarcoating anything with my mother in law.

"Well, get back in bed, the both of you," she scolded, chucking Ella under her chin, "Our flight doesn't leave until tomorrow night. We'll take care of our grand babies. Go get some sleep, you two. So scoot! _Now_!" she said, playfully glaring at us.

I sheepishly handed Libby to Phil, and reminded him that Masen was also asleep on the couch. Bella told Renee where the medicine was, and we left her mother and stepfather in our foyer, who were too absorbed with their grandchildren to pay much mind to us.

–

Renee dutifully popped her head in our bedroom door every hour, refilling our water glasses and bringing us Saltine crackers. She brought Ella in twice to Bella for feeding, even though she was skeptical that Ella would get sick too.

She had called my work for me too, and apparently gave Chief Brewer quite the sob story, because he left me several sympathetic text messages, insisting that I stay home until I was completely well. I wasn't sure if he was truly concerned about my condition, or the fact that if I went into work, I ran the risk of infecting my co workers. My foggy brain decided on a mixture of both before I fell into an uneasy sleep, Bella's too- warm body pressed into my side.

The day passed slowly by. I vaguely remember getting sick again, and Bella spilling her glass of water all over the sheets. I dragged the comforter off the bed and passed out on the floor with Bella in my arms. Sometime later, Phil shook me awake and motioned to the freshly made bed, and his special chicken soup sitting on a tray on my nightstand. I mumbled my thanks, and he simply chuckled, and left Bella and me alone with our dinner, which tasted better going down that it did coming back up. I resolved to stick to my Saltine and Sprite diet for a little while longer, even though I longed to taste real food again.

Renee brought all of the kids in our room, one at a time to say goodnight when it was bedtime. They looked better than they did this morning, but everyone was cranky because of last night. I thanked the heavens for Renee and Phil. Their timing had been perfect, as unique our situation was. Libby had been pretty grumpy without Mommy and Daddy, and Bella had made her promise to go to bed and be a good girl for Grandma Renee. Libby had halfheartedly promised, but not before trying to wiggle her way into bed with us. Phil had carried her out of the room as she cried into his chest. She was definitely over tired. Masen gave us a picture he had made, a picture that had five stick figures in it- our family. Libby's face, unlike the others he had drawn, had a frowny face on it, and I guessed that he had accurately depicted her mood while he had been drawing.

--

I awoke in the morning to birds singing and pancakes burning. Bella had her head in the porcelain toilet bowl, and I grimaced at the sounds she was making. I actually felt quite good, and I cheerily hopped out of bed to give my sick wife a glass of water. She gulped it down gratefully, and I helped her get settled back in bed, before going and taking a shower, washing off the two- day sick I had been immersed in.

I dressed quickly when I was done, and gathered the dirty dishes and damp towels that had accumulated in our bedroom before heading downstairs. Phil, ever the domestic househusband, had made pancakes, taking over for Renee who was not much of a cook- she must have been the one who burnt the pancakes earlier. All of my children were sitting at the table with Renee, and Phil was busy flipping his creations over the stove.

"Honestly, Edward," Renee looked over her knitting at me as I sat down, full plate in hand, "You all must have eaten something that had gone bad, because the kids are fine, and you look dramatically better."

I couldn't say anything; my mouth was too full.

"Daddy, yous look like a chik-a monk," Libby commented, pointing to my stuffed cheeks.

"_Chipmunk_, Libby," Masen hissed, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Manners, Libby," Renee reproved gently, and Libby obediently went back to her pancakes.

Ella announced she was done with her breakfast by dumping her bowl of cut up pancakes on the floor, and my mother in law stood to get her, shoving me back in my seat when I tried to grab the baby before she did. Renee deftly wiped Ella's chubby face, before plucking her out of her high chair.

"Phil, Edward, I'm going to bathe this little one. Edward, do you think Bella wants any pancakes?"

"No, Mom. All my stomach can handle right now is liquids." Bella said softly, as she came into the kitchen, seating herself on my lap.

Renee studied Bella's face for a moment, before turning and heading towards the bathroom. Bella reached for my glass of orange juice, and put her overly warm forehead in the crook of my neck, sipping the juice slowly.

"Mommy!" Libby exclaimed, wiggling in her seat, "Gwampa Phil! He cook! Pancakes! See, Mommy?" she said, holding up her plate for Bella to examine.

"I see, baby," Bella murmured, a hint of a smile appearing on her face.

"You feelin' better, Mommy?" Masen asked, maple syrup running down his chin.

Bella reached out to ruffle his hair. "I'm okay, honey. Wipe your mouth."

He scrubbed the back of his hand against his face.

"I meant with a napkin, honey."

"Oh."

I laughed, and wrapped my arm around Bella's waist.

Phil joined us at the table with his own stack of pancakes, and amused Libby and Masen by trying to shove a huge forkful into his mouth.

"Hey Phil," Bella said suddenly, "Where did you and Mom sleep last night?"

He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "The couch."

Bella frowned. "Were you warm and everything? I know I moved the blankets and stuff around since you last visited."

It was his turn to chuckle. "We were fine, Bella."

She bit her lip, looking flustered. "I just..." she sighed, "The house... it's such a mess! And you guys didn't have to do the laundry too, and make us food, please, you're guests!"

"Bella, you were sick. And you're family. Do you honestly think your mother would just let you wallow in your misery? And the house looks fine to us. It has a nice, lived- in look." Phil said gently, attempting to go placate her.

Bella scoffed, then yawned, setting my empty juice glass down. "Thanks, Phil. That's sweet. You're wrong, but sweet. I'm tired. I'm going to go to back to bed." She placed a kiss on my cheek, and slid off my lap. She rubbed noses with Libby and Masen before going back to our bedroom. I looked after her retreating form, concerned. She hadn't been this sick... in a while.

"She'll back to her old self in no time," Phil said comfortingly, clapping me on the shoulder and gathering our empty plates as he stood up.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I hope you're right."

"Look who's all nice and clean," Renee cooed, stepping through the doorway with a freshly washed and dressed Ella in her arms. Ella saw me and held out her little arms for me, and I gladly took her, burying my face in her unruly hair. She smelled so good, a perfect mix of Bella and baby soap.

"Where's Bella?" Renee asked, frowning.

"She went back to bed, hon," Phil said, cleaning up the stove.

"Edward, I'm worried about her," she said frankly, packing up her knitting.

"Me too, Renee."

"If she's not better by the end of the week, promise me you'll take her to the doctor?"

"Of course."

Renee nodded her head in satisfaction, then helped me clean Libby and Masen's sticky faces.

"Masen, go find the Go Fish cards. Grandma Renee wants to play a few rounds with you." She stated firmly. Masen nodded eagerly, and rushed off to his room.

"I play, Gwama?" Libby asked, tugging on Renee's pants.

"Of course, dear," Renee said kindly, smoothing her hand over my daughter's unruly curls.

Phil finished cleaning the kitchen, ignoring my attempts to help him, while Masen looked for the cards. I put Ella in her crib for her morning nap, and helped Masen shuffle the cards once he finally found them.

Renee sat with Libby in her lap, and Phil had decided to join us as we sat around the kitchen table, swapping plastic cards with images of various fish on them. We sat like this for almost two hours, and Masen won more times than any of us.

Eventually, we tired of the game, and Libby and Masen went to play in the study while the adults (minus Bella) sat in the living room and talked about Renee and Phil's upcoming vacation. It was afternoon when we decided to make lunch, but Renee, in her attempts to fight our supposed food poisoning, had thrown out everything that was in our refrigerator. The only things she left were peanut butter and ketchup. She had also kindly cleaned out the pantry for us too, and all she left in _there_ was the box of Saltine crackers and the case of Sprite.

Renee volunteered Phil to go to the store. I quickly wrote him a list on the back of a take-out menu, and Renee added in a few things, even though she was leaving tonight. I heard Masen and Libby begin to argue loudly in the study, and I went to investigate, terrified they'd wake up their mother and baby sister. I quickly sorted out their argument, and walked quietly back to the living room, picking up the stray toys that had nested in the hallway. I heard my mother and step-father in law talking quietly in the foyer.

"I'll be back, in an hour, tops, Hon," Phil said as he walked out the front door. Renee nodded assent, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, and Phil?"

"Yes, Dear?"

The next thing she said was so quiet, I could barely hear it. But I did, and I had to grip the wall, shocked by what she had uttered.

"Pick up a pregnancy test for Bella."

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**AN: Haha, Phil has to buy a pregnancy test. Hm, a baby drop? What do you think? Is she or isn't she? I don't know myself, but Renee and Edward seem to think that she might be. Review and tell me if you want there to be another Mini Cullen or not, because I haven't decided. If enough people say yes, then there will be. If not, Baby Cullen will wait. It's up to you guys, cause you're so good to me. Tell me boy or girl, while you're at it. **

**Shorter chapters = faster updates (hopefully)**

**Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter! Links on my profile page! I might put up teasers there!**

**I have a new story! Please check it out? It's called "The Girl Next Door"**

_**Summary: Childhood sweethearts turned bitter are forced to pose as a married couple. If the wrong people find out their marriage is a sham, they'll both be killed. The one thing they didn't expect? Falling in love all over again.**_

**Reviewers get a family portrait drawn by Masen :) **


	9. Affording It

**AN: This is the next to last chapter! Important note at the bottom. **

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-Chapter Nine: Affording It-

"Negative," Bella breathed out, setting the test on the bathroom counter and leaning into me. I rested my chin on her shoulder, and slid my arms around her waist. I could feel hot tears fall on my forearm, and my heart ached that my wife was so distressed by the outcome of the pregnancy test.

"Talk to me, love. What were you hoping it would say?" I was painfully torn between being relieved and being disappointed. As much as I felt that a fourth child would complete our family, having a baby right now was not feasibly financially.

"I- I don't know, Edward. I want another one, but is it wrong to feel somewhat glad that one isn't coming right now?"

"No, Love," I said, dropping my head and placing a kiss on her collarbone, "It isn't wrong. We'll have another when the time is right. We're still young, Bella, younger than most people who've only had one child. Both you and I know that right now is not a good time."

"Because we can't afford another baby," she said flatly, making me wince.

"That's partly the reason, yes, but Bella- the other three are still little, and frankly, we'd need a bigger house. Which we can't afford either."

It made me sick to hear those words come out of my mouth. The only debt we had was the mortgage on the house, and we were on a payment plan for the few hospital bills we had remaining. Still, it was a struggle to make ends meet and I hated myself for that. More than once I had thought about going into a different career field, but I would have to go back to school for almost any job that I wanted to do. Firefighting was something I was good at, and even though the hours and pay were not ideal, I could honestly say I loved my job.

But I hated that my family had to suffer because of it. My children wore hand-me- down clothing, and there was no money for extra things, like going to the zoo or the movies. We saved up for things like that. The Thanksgiving retreat Bella and I had taken had used up most of the saved money, and the rest that was in the spending fund was going towards Christmas presents.

Christmas was a bittersweet time for me. I didn't get to see much of my little family, but by working overtime, I'd be able to guarantee them a decent Christmas. I would invariably start working extra shifts two weeks prior, leading up to Christmas Eve. I'd usually get home in time to help Bella finish wrapping the last of the gifts before heading to bed after midnight. Masen finally understood what all the Christmas fuss was about, and he would come in our room between seven and eight in the morning, begging to open presents.

This would be Ella's first Christmas, and Libby would probably be more into celebrating it than she was last year. Last year's Christmas was the toughest by far, so I wanted to make this one extra special.

A sharp tap on the bathroom door brought me out of my thoughts, and I reluctantly let go of my wife to open the door.

Renee stood there, bouncing Ella on her hip. She wore an expectant smile, but it disappeared once she saw Bella's tear stained face.

"Oh honey," she said gently, patting Bella's arm, "I'm so sorry."

Bella hiccuped, nodding, and held out her arms for Ella. Renee gently placed the sleepy baby in her arms before leaving us, shutting our bedroom door on her way out.

Bella cradled the baby to her breast, and walked into the bedroom, sitting down on the bed. I sat next to her, playing with Ella's curls, neither of us breaking the tense silence.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I finally said, my voice husky with unshed tears, "I know this hurts you. I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying sorry, Edward," Bella said softly, "This isn't your fault. I was just sick, not pregnant. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Besides, it's probably better, like you said. I didn't mean it the way I said it... about not being able to afford..." she trailed off sadly, not looking me in the eyes.

I jumped up from the bed, startling the baby, and ran my hands through my hair, gripping the ends tightly.

"You should be able to, Bella. We should be able to, damn it. It shouldn't always be about the money."

"Edward, don't start," she said weakly, placing a kiss the nursing baby's head, "please, Edward, I told you, I-"

"No, Bella," I interrupted rudely, "It does matter. We shouldn't have to put our lives on hold because I have a dangerous job that doesn't pay well. No. I want to get another job. I'll be a waiter. I'll play piano in hotel lobbies. I'll be a valet on the weekends-"

"Edward!" Bella's voice cut to my heart, so anguished. "You can't get a second job. You'll kill yourself. Let me go back to the bakery. I'm sure Angela would be-"

"Bella." I said, with great warning in my voice, "Absolutely not."

"But Edward-"

"No."

"Damn it, Edward," she hissed darkly, not wanting to raise her voice and upset the baby.

"Isabella. We've talked about this before. You are not going back to work."

"But _you_ can work two jobs, and run yourself ragged? Edward, that's not fair. It's not healthy either." She was pleading with me, tears running down her face again.

"I will support my family, Bella. No matter the cost." I folded my arms across my chest, staring at the wall behind my wife.

"Edward, please. We hardly see you as it is. We'll survive, I know we will. After the new year, if things are really bad..."

She was practically choking on her tears, she was so upset. And I was the cause of her distress. I took a deep breath and walked back to her side, tucking her into my chest, taking care not to squish Ella. I let her cry for a minute, before tenderly wiping her eyes and gently pressing my lips to hers.

"Okay, Bella. I'll wait. But it's going to be a lean Christmas."

"Better you than nothing," she whispered softly. I held her until both she and the baby fell asleep in my arms. I gently placed Bella under the covers, and took my daughter to her room for her afternoon nap. Masen and Libby were already asleep in their beds, and I made sure that they were securely tucked in before leaving the room.

I found Renee and Phil in the kitchen, both somber.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I shouldn't have meddled and had Phil buy the test." Renee said, looking ashamed. I sat down at the table, and took her hand.

"It's alright, Renee. I know you meant well. Of course Bella is upset, but honestly, right now is not a good time for us to be adding another member to our family. Please don't feel badly about this. It's a good thing."

Renee nodded, looking unconvinced. "I still... I just..."

I squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Renee. I promise."

Renee sighed, and looked at the kitchen clock. "Phil and I are leaving for the airport at six. Is there anything you need before we go?"

"No, just relax. I have to be at the station at four, so I won't be able to see you guys off. But please know that Bella and I, and the kids too, really enjoyed having you both here. Thanks for putting up with us."

Renee giggled, and Phil cracked a smile. "Of course, Edward darling. It was no trouble at all. We were happy to help out. We're sad that our time with you guys was so short, but I am so excited about Hawaii. We'll take lots of pictures for you, and get you all some leis and big floppy hats. Maybe even a bottle of sand."

"That would be nice."

Phil chuckled, and I felt the tense atmosphere dissipate from the room entirely.

–

"Daddy, Daddy! Come look!" Masen ran over to me and excitedly tugged on my hand, his face flushed from the cold and his eyes bright.

The week after Bella's mother and stepfather left, I took my family to a nearby tree lot, where we would be picking out our Christmas tree. Masen was feverishly running back and forth between evergreens, trying to find the perfect one. Poor Libby had tried to help, but she ended up with a faceful of pine needles and a scraped knee. I let her ride on my shoulders as we followed Masen around, looking for the perfect tree. It was only four days before Christmas, and the holiday spirit was infectious. I found myself humming random Christmas carols, and I didn't feel stressed out in the slightest.

Bella's health had considerably improved, which made me feel much better about leaving her with the kids while I went to work. I had taken her to the doctor the previous Friday, like I had promised Renee. Dr. Snow had simply chalked Bella's illness up to not getting enough sleep, and not getting her flu shot. He prescribed antibiotics to fight off the remaining cold, and told her to 'take it easy', while giving _me_ the evil eye. If he thought I was the cause of her sleeplessness, he had another think coming.

I had barely seen my wife the last couple of days, and I felt a little guilty for it. I didn't even come home to sleep, which was hard for both of us. I did manage to have dinner with my family every night, but they weren't too happy when I dashed home one day and insisted we eat before I had to run off again. It was only four o'clock in the afternoon. Bella simply sighed, with a small smile on her face, and ran the frozen package of ground beef she was planning to prepare under some hot water so it would thaw more quickly.

I glanced over to where my wife was sitting with Ella, tired of chasing after Masen. She usually left the tree picking up to me, not really caring as long as it didn't cost too much. Ella would be getting fussy soon, and I hoped that Masen would find his tree in time before the little girls got too cranky. I watched them for a moment, Bella sitting on an old bench, reading a book while Ella lay contentedly in her stroller, eating Cheerios and playing with her feet.

"Daddy, look at this one," Masen pleaded, practically vibrating in place, he was so excited. He pulled on my pant leg, making Libby giggle, and we followed him to his latest find. I had to admit, my son had a talent for picking out trees, even though it took him awhile to find the perfect one.

He finally found one that did not resemble Charlie Brown's infamous scraggly one, and even I was a little surprised at how nice it was. It was a tall fir tree, with shiny green branches, and a sturdy trunk. It wasn't more than seven feet tall, and would fit perfectly in the designated corner of our living room. The eager salesman carefully trimmed it, and helped me secure the large tree to the roof of the car.

I placed the tree in the living room once we arrived home, and went to look for the Christmas ornaments. We somehow managed to misplace them every year, but I was pretty sure we left them in the garage last year. However, the two boxes of ornaments were nowhere to be found.

"Bella, have you seen the box ornaments?" I called, walking back into the house.

"No, Edward, I don't even know where they are." She yelled.

"Well you must have moved them, because I don't know where they are."

"Edward, I was eight months pregnant last Christmas. You didn't let me move _anything_," she said, coming out of the kitchen.

Couldn't argue with that logic. I knew myself too well. The missing ornaments were my doing.

"Check under our bed, and the linen closet. They're somewhere in this house. And please be quick, I want to decorate this tree and put Libby down for a nap. She's struggling to keep her eyes open."

"Yes, Dear," I muttered, going into the bedroom. Forty minutes and six dust bunnies later, I found the two missing boxes of ornaments stashed under Ella's crib. Why I put them there, I'll never know.

I sheepishly gave the boxes to Bella, and she gave me a knowing smirk in return. I placed Libby on my shoulders once again, and let her put the star on top of the tree. Bella creatively draped popcorn strands and tinsel on the delicate weaving branches, and I made sure Masen didn't put all the ornaments on the bottom branches of the tree like he did last year. I put the Christmas lights on the tree myself, cringing when I got stabbed with a sharp branch. Thankfully, the lights weren't too tangled. A memorable incident last year made sure of that.

When our tree was done, it looked nothing like the designer tree my mother put up every year, but in a way, it was even more beautiful, because our family had decorated it with love. Sure, there were several ornaments that looked out of place, and the star on top was a little crooked, but it was ours. The modest tree, with it's homemade ornaments and already wilting popcorn strings, represented our little family. We didn't have much, but each Christmas was better than the last, because we had each other.

The phone rang while Bella was doing a load of laundry, and she asked me to get it, anticipating that it was Rosalie or Alice, calling to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I picked the phone up from it's cradle, wanting to stop the annoying ring tone, and make sure my sisters knew not to stress Bella out too much.

"Hello?"

"Edward, it's Charlie." The gruff voice of my father in law floating through the phone nearly made me drop it in shock. Charlie almost never called, but when he did, it was to speak to Bella and the kids, not me.

"Charlie, it's good to hear from you," I stuttered out, not knowing what to say.

He ignored the pleasantries.

"Edward, we need to talk."

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**AN: Le Gasp! What does Charlie want? Is Edward in trouble?**

**Sorry for the fakeout. No baby. You guys were pretty evenly tied on the yay or nay, and a lot of you made me laugh when you told me you thought Edward might have a heart attack if another baby made an appearance. And did Edward and Bella's money troubles discussion break your heart? I was a little sad for them :'(**

**PB&J was only supposed to be a four or five chapter story, but I had to write a little more. I think we'll round off with an even ten, so Christmas will be the ****last chapter.**** No epilogue, because I may come up with other ideas to incorporate. **

**Thanks for putting up with me! Do you think, maybe, we could get to 250 reviews? Just asking, it would make me really happy, but only review if you want to. **

**Any ideas for Christmas for our favorite little family? Let me know if there's anything you want to see before this story comes to a close. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! **


	10. A Merry Little Christmas The End

**AN: I thought I'd put us all out of our misery and end this story already. I hate writing it! **

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-Chapter Ten: A Merry Little Christmas-

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light_

I met my father in law for coffee two days before Christmas. He sat awkwardly across from me, as we lingered in the small, dingy cafe and sipped our drinks.

He didn't pull out his wallet, or write me a check.

Instead, he gave me a hug, and a tearful apology.

Good thing we weren't in Forks. I don't know what the delinquents of Forks High would dare to pull when they saw Chief Swan sobbing over his cappuccino.

I returned his embrace with full force, and readily accepted his apology. We were finally ready to let bygones be bygones.

He asked if he could come over for Christmas. He didn't need to ask twice. I gave him directions, and told him to bring Sue too.

_From now on, our troubles will be out of sight_

I paid the last hospital bill on December 23rd. Bella and I had a sort of after hours celebration, complete with champagne. Those bills had been a noose around my neck ever since last year, and now they all were finally laid to rest.

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the Yuletide gay_

Charlie came over bright and early Christmas morning, wearing a Santa suit, of all things. Sue stood bashfully beside him, holding a tray of homemade cookies. Charlie's eating habits weren't going to suffer with her in the house.

Emmett was already planning on wearing the suit for next year. That is, if he could find a good tailor to alter it.

_From now on, our troubles will be miles away_

I received a letter from Chief Brewer on Christmas Eve. He offered me a transfer position to a Forks fire station.

He wanted me chief there, too.

That position was the one I'd always wanted- and it paid twice as much as my old job.

Bella wept when I showed her the letter.

I could finally get the love of my life the small things she'd always wanted, but that we had never been able to afford.

We could go away for a weekend more often.

We could go to a nicer restaurant and not fear about upsetting our finances.

I could buy her presents, like a necklace or flowers, and she wouldn't be able to get upset with me, because we would be able to afford it.

Masen would be able to go to a good school next year.

Libby wouldn't have to wait for Emmalie's hand me downs- she could get her very own, brand new princess dress now. Which, if I wasn't mistaken, was sitting under the Christmas tree.

Ella wouldn't have to go to daycare and Bella wouldn't have to work before the kids grew up. If she wanted to work at all, that was.

_Here we are, as in olden days, happy golden days of yore_

The money that had been going towards the bills would now go towards a down payment- for a house.

That was a lot bigger than this one.

That had a large, green backyard, for all our children.

It had a studio for Bella, in case she wanted to pick up writing again.

The house wasn't extravagant. Four bedrooms, three bathrooms. A garage and basement. It was twice the size of our old house, but still just as homey. I could easily live in that house for the rest of my life.

The cheerful realtor had told us that location was everything. And she was right.

The house was twenty-one minutes from Charlie.

Eighteen minutes from Masen's school.

Fourteen minutes from my parents' house.

Six minutes from the fire station.

And three minutes away from the supermarket.

Priceless.

_Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us, once more_

Jacob promised he would visit us in Forks, minus the dog, and Ben and Angela vowed they would too. Even Chief Brewer cleared a day in his calender, to come to Forks 'just to see how I was adjusting'. The big gruff man was truly a softie at heart.

_Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow_

Phil and Renee were already talking of coming back to Washington in the summer.

My children would get to grow up with their extended family all around them, and I knew Bella, Rosalie and Alice were already making plans for play dates.

Being with our family was something that Bella and I both wanted, even before we were married.

Six years later, we got our wish.

_Hang a shining star upon the highest bough_

For some reason, our Christmas tree kept leaning to left and I invariably found myself balancing Libby on my shoulders once again, making sure the tinsel star at the top of the tree stayed in place.

Christmas morning in the Cullen house was always an exciting event, and this year was even more special, because both Masen and Libby understood what the celebration was truly about.

They let us sleep in until six forty-five this year.

Bella and I were able to get them some of the things they had asked for, as well as some necessities, like clothing and shoes.

We also got them a pet.

A nice, quiet, clean, contained goldfish. Which was christened Sophie. Lord help us if the fish turned out to be a boy.

Jasper called dibs on flushing Sophie down the toilet when he or she died. He got a few of Sue's cookies thrown at him for that.

Carlisle and I were also prepared to make bets on this fish's lifespan, but our wives would not have appreciated that.

Especially on _Christmas_.

Out of all the presents I received, one small gift made this Christmas especially memorable.

Bella handed the small, rectangular wrapped present to me, biting her lip and trying to hide the sparkle in her eyes.

I eagerly tore it open, and a pregnancy test fell out into my hand. The one word displayed on the small screen turned my morning upside down.

_Positive._

I looked up at her in shock, a smile spreading across my face. She answered my unspoken question.

"Turns out the other test had a false result. The baby's due on your birthday, Edward."

That announcement was met with squeals of joy from the women and congratulatory slaps on the back from the men.

Who knew Charlie was so heavy handed?

I looked around at my little family, opening presents with joy radiating from their faces, and I knew that it would only be up from here.

"Ella! Stop eating the wrapping paper, love!"

_And have yourself a merry little Christmas now. _

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**AN: Well, that's the end! There will be no sequel or epilogue. This story is done and over, yay. **

**Thanks to ****SpencerReidFan89****, who was my first reviewer.**

**Birdee18**** for being so supportive**

**Felineyx**** for offering to kill the non- reviewers**

**Hoobastank22**** for advertising me**

**Twilighter80**** for all the wonderful feedback**

**Heatzi**** for inspiring me**

**SuperMassiveBlackMole**** for the astounding reviews **

**ORDandproud**** for sticking with me**

**Mooch11**** for being so nice to me**

**Sicklittlesuicide**** for telling me what I needed to hear**

**The prequel story to this is Fireproof. Check it out if you want to see the beginnings of the PB&J family.**

**Bye!**

**yourbrowneyedgirl**

**Reviews one last time would be nice. If anyone still cares.**

**I mean, please? I gave them a big house **_**in Forks**_**, 2x more money, and a baby!**


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